Buried in Laundry

Too Much on My Plate

2012-01-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days I've come to the conclusion that I have too much going on and something has to give. I recently accepted a new job (Yay!!!) and I'm thrilled. I'll be working as a Special Education Paraprofessional in our local school district's preschool program. The best part is that I'll be working at my daughters' elementary school. For now I'm only working in the morning session, so I still have to work a few days a week at my retail job. It's a foot in the door, though, so I'm very excited about this new chapter. Unfortunately, I just don't have the time to keep up with this blog. I'm hoping I can simply take a few weeks off of blogging, clear my head, figure out my new routine and get back into things. We'll see!

The Organizing Has Begun

2012-01-05T08:49:00.001-07:00

I'm slowly but surely get our house back in order after the chaos of Christmas. All of our decorations are put away (except for a few lights) and the tree is ready to go back in the basement. (My allergies prevent me from having a real tree, much to Hubby's disappointment). Hubby and I spent most of the past weekend sorting and organizing the girls' toys. During a visit to Target, I checked out an organizer that I had been eyeing online. Hubby and I talked it over and decided to buy it... and when I went back it was on sale!

It may not look like much, but this has made a huge difference. Since all the "little things" now have a place to go, it's so much easier to keep the toys organized. (We have the stuffed animals in large tubs and the dress up clothes in mesh totes). The girls understand that things need to be put back in their proper places and (so far) they've been really good about putting things away. Hubby set up the storage rack while I was at work, so I have to keep asking my daughters where certain items go!
Now I'm on somewhat of a cleaning frenzy. I'm trying to tackle one room/area at a time. We never seem to have time to organize, so it's easy to wind up with clutter. My goal over the next few weeks (yes, it's going to take that long. No, we're not hoarders) is to tackle all the areas that we keep saying we'll get to when we have time. Wish me luck!

Cleaning Up the Clutter

2011-12-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend Hubby and I will be taking on the dreaded task of trying to organize our daughters' toys. This will involve tossing anything that's broken and packing away anything that's for younger children. Typically, it takes us a day to truly organize their toys. This time, though, we're at a loss on how to make it "work." We want something that is easy for them to help us maintain, without spending tons of money on storage bins. Right now all their stuffed animals end up in one big pile in a corner. This works, as long as no other toys are thrown into the pile. We have several mesh "bins" that work to an extent for storage, but they're not good for larger toys and they rip under the pressure of heavier toys. Yesterday I checked out plastic bins, but even those seemed expensive for the amount we would need. Feel free to share how you keep your children's toys separated and organized!

Best. Christmas. Ever.

2011-12-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

This Christmas can be summed up in one word: fantastic. We all had a blast. Everyone was over their illnesses. We had decent weather. It was truly a Christmas to remember.
We started our festivities with our annual Christmas Eve feast. We get so caught up in seeing family on Christmas Day, that I've always tried to do a dinner just for the six of us. This year my daughters decided they love stuffing. Much to Hubby's dismay we did not have much leftovers when it came to the stuffing and mashed potatoes. I also learned that a 17 pound turkey isn't big enough for the six of us if we want decent leftovers. By Christmas night we had already devoured most of the leftovers! Here I thought I would end up freezing some of the meat! I did manage to make a casserole with the dark meat since we're more of a white meat family.
On Christmas morning my girls woke up at 6:30 am, but stayed relatively quiet until 7 am. That in itself is a wonderful Christmas gift! They were each delighted to find the special gift they had asked Santa to bring and, much to my surprise, they shared those gifts with one another. Cakes let everyone try her camera. Roo let everyone test her scooter. Tortilla promised to let everyone help her bake with her Easy Bake Oven (we haven't made anything yet, but we will soon!) And even this girl, who opened her Gameboy, sat down to play it and had to be persuaded to put it down and open more gifts, has allowed her sisters to play a few games.

Clearly we're going to have to set some rules for the Gameboy, but for now I'm letting her play her heart out.
I had to work last night and spent most of yesterday doing laundry, but Hubby and the girls spent the day playing Legos. It was definitely a great Christmas and I hope you all had a memorable day as well!

I Have How Many Days Left?!

2011-12-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

Christmas definitely snuck up on me this year. I managed to get most of my shopping done by the beginning of December, but little things keep popping up. For instance, I realized yesterday I have two things to put in each stocking. Fortunately, Hubby picked up some small candies at the store, so I think we're set.
But I still have to wrap. Ugh. Every year I swear I'm not going to wait until Christmas Eve to wrap gifts. I had initially arranged for my mother in law to take my daughters out for lunch yesterday, which would have given me some time to wrap. Unfortunately, with the stomach bug that hit Tortilla, she just wasn't up for being out of the house. There went my wrapping day. I'm hoping tomorrow night I can get some wrapping done once the girls go to bed.
I have everything purchased for our Christmas Eve "feast" and the turkey is thawing, so I plan to spend Friday baking. (I have to work Christmas Eve morning so I want as much done before then as possible). We have a big snow storm headed our way tonight, so I guess it will help put me in the mood for Christmas!

The Santa Shop

2011-12-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I do not buy each other Christmas gifts any more. Once our daughters were born, we decided it was more fun to put that money toward an extra gift for them. This means there are few gifts under the tree for us, usually a nice gift card or two from thoughtful family members. This year, however, our daughters visited the Santa Shop at school and picked out presents for us.
In order to keep things simple, two girls were given the task of buying gifts for me and the other two were assigned to Hubby. A few days before the actual shopping day, each class visited the shop to create their wish list. Tortilla and Roo's class went first. They each came home with a list of 10+ things. As I looked at their lists I realized they had picked out gifts for themselves! We had a long discussion about giving to others and they were able to find some items on their lists within their budget ($5 each) to buy on their shopping day. (Tortilla bought me a small jeweled box and a snowflake pin. Roo bought Hubby a singing Santa pen and a turtle figurine). Before Cakes and Sue Sue went to look at the shop I reminded them who they were shopping for and encouraged them to put things on their lists that only Mommy and Daddy would like. They each came home with one item on their list. Cakes wanted to buy a "mom" Christmas ornament and Sue Sue wanted to buy a pennant for our local NFL team. Since I wasn't thinking, I only sent them with the exact amount of the gifts they picked out, rather than the $5 budget. Sue Sue had to settle for an NBA pennant and the mom ornament was sold out. Fortunately a "helper" at the shop found something for Cakes to buy that was the exact same price as the ornament. I will be receiving a "fancy" pink heart ring. It's pretty much the kind of ring you get from a gumball machine, but Cakes is so excited that I am actually very excited about it, too.
That's what it comes down to. They are so excited to be giving us gifts that they picked out. They don't know that I know what all the gifts are and I'm not letting on that I know. They keep whispering to one another about what they bought and how they think we'll react on Christmas morning. It's giving them a small sense of what it means to give at Christmas and I know we will treasure these gifts. Of course, I've already told Hubby his singing Santa pen that doesn't have an off switch can only be used at work!

It Wouldn't Be Christmas Without...

2011-12-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

Someone being sick. Every Christmas means we are treated to some type of virus going through our house. A few years ago Sue Sue ended up in the emergency room just a week before Christmas. She had croup. By Christmas Eve I had what I describe as "the adult version of croup." It knocked me on my back for an entire weekend (including the day after Christmas). Since then, at least one of us ends up with something right around Christmas.
This year is no different. I've spent a week battling a cold. I think I'm finally on the mend, but now Tortilla is suffering from a stomach bug. I'm finally getting her to keep down liquids, so that seems promising. She's asking for soup for lunch, so I hope that means she's starting to recuperate.
So far, though, we're still managing to get things done as we approach Christmas. As long as I have everyone healthy on Christmas Day, I won't complain (too much)!

Thank Goodness for One Hour Photo

2011-12-12T10:38:00.001-07:00

Every kindergarten student in our school spends a week being the "Marvelous Me." Each week the chosen student (one per class) takes home a gigantic piece of paper. Parents help her trace her body, cut it out and then decorate the paper with stickers, pictures, etc. So far three of my girls have been the Marvelous Me. It gets easier with each one because we know what did and didn't work the time before.
At the end of their chosen week, the student gets to spend the weekend with the "class mascot." They bring home a bag with a few books, a stuffed animal and a binder. They have fun. I on the other hand dread the class mascot. Why? Because in the binder each student has to record what she did with the mascot.
Sue Sue was the very first student in her class to bring home the mascot. This was difficult because I had no ideas from previous students. I decided to go "simple." I took four pictures of her with the stuffed animal (eating, playing, reading and sleeping) and she wrote a sentence about each one. I certainly didn't want to be the mom who set the bar too high! Of course her weekend with the mascot was an incredibly busy one, so I found myself racing to a nearby one hour photo store at the end of the weekend to get her pictures and finish the binder. A few weeks later Cakes brought home the same mascot and binder. I was relieved to see that the other students pretty much followed our lead and kept it simple (except for the one student who had 10+ pictures).
I wish I knew the point of the class mascot binder. It's fun for the kids to bring home the books and animal, but journaling the "experience" is a bit much. Sure, the directions say you can use photos or drawings, but most parents (like me) are going to take the easy way out and do photos. At least my girls think it's fun! And it could be worse. Another parent said in her daughter's class they get the mascot just overnight, not for the weekend. They're expected to show up with pictures and/or photos the next morning.

I Finally Got My Mother's Day Present!

2011-12-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

Just before Mother's Day I had my daughters approach Hubby with some paint samples and say something along the lines of "We should paint the bathroom for Mommy." Our master bathroom was a nice forest green... but not bathroom appropriate. I want a bright bathroom, one that does not make me dread waking up early any more than I already do. The dark color made me grumpy. Hubby agreed to paint the bathroom, but we decided to wait until after the summer to do the project. It gets really, really hot here in the summer and Hubby wanted to make sure he could paint with the windows open.
A few weeks ago, Hubby decided it was the right time to tackle the painting project. It took him two weekends because he wanted to make sure he had enough time to fix the horrid paint job the previous owner had left behind. (Seriously, I think the previous owner just slapped paint on when he decided to sell. You can tell where he spilled some of the green paint, plus in our bedroom, which is a different color, he didn't paint all the way to the ceiling in some areas). One Saturday Hubby primed two walls and then painted those walls Sunday. He repeated this method two weekends later (it was too crazy to paint during Thanksgiving weekend).
I think Hubby and I were stunned by several things. First of all, the paint we chose doesn't really resemble the sample I brought home. We studied that thing for weeks, months really, in various lighting. On the card it is a light beige/cream/peach (depending on the lighting). On the walls it is, well, it's pretty much pink. In natural light it's a little closer to what I thought it would be, but still has pink tones versus peach or beige. I hadn't intended on a pink bathroom, but, and this brings us to another surprising revelation, the color makes our bathroom look so much bigger. I didn't realize how much space we actually have in there until the paint job was finished. The dark green really shut down the room. This new color brightens the room and gives it a much better look. It still doesn't make me a morning person, but it doesn't make me feel "blah" in the morning.
All in all, I'm happy with the way this project turned out. It was well worth the wait! We have enough primer and paint leftover that I think we're going to transform the girls' "cat puke yellow" bathroom, too!

My Favorite Tradition

2011-12-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, every Christmas Eve after church we would pile in the car and drive around looking at Christmas lights. I love seeing lights, especially when people go all out. In recent years, I've expanded this tradition with my daughters. Instead of only looking at lights on Christmas Eve, we try to go out every Saturday night in December.
We made our first trek this year over the weekend. It was fun to see what people do. There's one nearby neighborhood that has a lighting contest. On one block there are two houses where the owners must be in a fierce competition. They have their houses lit beyond all imagination... front and back yards! One of the houses even has a life-size Santa on the porch. My daughters and I joked about what it must be like for the surrounding neighbors to have those lights blazing in their bedrooms every night.
Still, not as many homes are decorated this year. I don't know if people are trying to save money or just didn't get around to it this year. We had a huge cold snap over the weekend, so maybe people are waiting for a warm up. (Hubby usually puts ours up just before Thanksgiving when it's in the 60s, but we don't turn them on until the day after Thanksgiving). One block away from us is a house that usually has lights galore and music. This year they don't have the music playing... yet. We're hoping by next weekend the sound system will be turned on!
Some day my daughters will be too old (meaning "too cool") to spend every Saturday night looking at Christmas lights with me. For now, though, I'm happy to hear all the "oohs" and "ahhhs" from the back seat! Most of these houses have more lights than Hubby would ever agree to spend time putting up, but it's still fun to get ideas for next year.

Decisions, Decisions

2011-11-30T07:19:00.000-07:00

After the somewhat stressful process of deciding where my daughters would attend kindergarten, I thought my education decisions were over for a few years. Nope. Now I need to figure out next year!
A refresher on kindergarten choices: I had three options for my daughters. I could send them to the nearby charter school, send them to the public school we are zoned for or open enroll them into the public school where they attended preschool. I ruled out the charter school without ever speaking to anyone other than the secretary. During my initial phone call she informed me the school's policy is to separate multiples. I'm not opposed to separating my girls, but I want some say in the process. After a lengthy discussion with the principal where my daughters attended preschool, I made the decision to open enroll them there for kindergarten. First of all, he asked me to keep them there. I want my daughters in a school where they're wanted. He also told me it didn't matter how my daughters were separated in class (and also said they didn't have to be split) and left the decision to me on how to separate them. Plus, I visited the two full-day kindergarten classrooms and the teachers were fantastic. I don't regret my decisions at all. We have two wonderful teachers (which was important to me because we ended up with a not so wonderful teacher our final year of preschool) and we feel like we're part of the "school community." (I'm also on a first-name basis with the nurse/secretary as it seems she needs to call me at least every other week to alert me to a cut, scrape, fever, etc).
But now I need to start looking ahead to first grade. My daughters love school. I want that to continue, so I take this very seriously. (I know, I know. I make it sound like I'm selecting colleges!) The principal wants us to return next year. There are a lot of pros. My daughters have friends at this school. They're familiar with the school. We feel welcome. Plus one of the first grade teachers was Roo's speech therapist last year, so it would be nice to have Roo in her class. One of the reasons the teacher went to first grade is because she wanted more time with the students and felt like she could also address speech issues with those who need help.
I still have to consider the school we're zoned for. I have a meeting with the principal next week. Going to that school means my daughters would leave their friends at their current school, but would be in classes with children from our neighborhood. I've heard good things about this school, so now it's time for me to find out for myself. I have a lot of thinking to do!

Is It My Turn for a Vacation?

2011-11-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

We packed in a lot of activities during the girls' week off of school last week. The week included a trip to the library, a visit to our local butterfly pavilion, my midnight shift on Black Friday, a trip to the zoo for the Christmas display and to see Santa, a day of decorating the house for Christmas and, of course, Thanksgiving dinner. Phew!
It was actually nice to have the time to get out, even if it seemed we were constantly on the go. Sometimes during their school breaks the weather doesn't cooperate or work schedules don't leave room for much down time. The butterfly pavilion was crowded (we went the day before Thanksgiving) but manageable and while the nighttime visit to the zoo was chilly, we had fun looking at the lights and visiting Santa.
Between our outings and work, I'm exhausted. My midnight to noon shift on Black Friday ended up only lasting until 9am. I came home and crashed for three hours and was in bed that night by 8:30pm. Thank goodness that's over until next year! Unlike the previous week when I dealt with an obnoxiously rude customer, on Black Friday a customer sought out my manager... and told him what exceptional service I had given her. (I swear I didn't put her up to it, either!) It was nice to end the chaotic week on a pleasant note!

Apparently They've Missed the Library

2011-11-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, kindergarten students at our school are not allowed to check out books from the library. This disappointed me because I remember how much fun library day was each week when I was in school. We have a nearby public library, which we used to visit quite a bit. With school, however, we just haven't had time.
The other day I mentioned the possibility of going to the library since school is out all this week. My girls were thrilled. Then I decided to capitalize on their excitement. Want to go to the library? Your rooms have to be clean.
It worked like a charm. They cleaned their rooms without complaint. They purged the stuffed animals from their beds (one of them had at least 20 toys on her bed) and even crawled under their beds to retrieve books and more toys. Then one of the girls said "I bet we have to clean the entire downstairs, too, if we want to go to the library." They were game, so the house is in decent shape!
We'll be heading to the library soon to find some books and movies to keep all of us occupied this week.

Tis the Season... for Rudeness

2011-11-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Working retail means I definitely have my fill of rude customers. For the most part, I like interacting with people, but in the last week I encountered two women who were hard to deal with.
The first one I was at least able to help and send her on her way. The second woman, however, was clearly in a bad mood and felt it was best to take it out on me.
I made a mistake in her transaction and when she pointed it out to me, I promptly apologized. She berated me and then demanded a manager. Then, when the manager arrived, she yelled some more and went into some racist tangent about illegal immigrants. It's really not worth explaining. I'm a blonde haired, blue-eyed, fair skinned American. I'm still trying to figure out the connection between what happened and illegal immigrants. (The woman behind her in line had no problem looking at the woman and telling her she was out of control, along with using some choice profanity. I must admit, I appreciated the fact that someone was standing up to the rude lady).
It bothers me when people are this rude and cruel. Clearly this particular customer's intent was to degrade and belittle me. Why? Who knows. Because she had a bad day? Because I'm a service worker and she knows I can't fight back without risking my job? Because she thinks anyone who works retail must not be educated? I've left stores angry over service issues, but I've never gone so far as to berate an employee. If I'm that hot over something, I'll go home and think about it. If it still bothers me, I'll write either corporate headquarters or the store's manager. On the other hand, if someone goes above and beyond, I'll write a glowing letter to corporate to let them know how much I appreciated the service.
I can usually blow off rude customer encounters. This one, however, has been hard to shake. It's not even Black Friday and already the overly rude customers are making themselves known. I'm a little worried about what's in store for the rest of this holiday season.

I Waited Too Long

2011-11-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

Christmas shopping has been fairly stress-free this year. I've been using the Amazon.com gift cards I racked up through Swagbucks, so we aren't really paying for much. But, as luck has it, the one item Tortilla wants is becoming impossible to find.
She wants an Easy Bake Ultimate Oven. She's already talking about how we will no longer need to buy birthday cakes because she will make them all. I had it "saved" in my cart through Amazon, but, apparently I'm a little too thrifty. As I waited to see if the price would drop below $39.99 closer to Black Friday, it suddenly was out of stock. Now it's back on the site for.... wait for it... $52. (The other day it was $63!) I am not shelling out that much for a pretend oven, even if you can make cakes and pretzels in it. I don't care if my gift cards would cover the $52. Not doing it. Kohl's doesn't carry it. Toys R Us was out. I ordered the oven from another retailer, and if the price on Amazon drops, I'll return the other one. These cakes better be delicious!

Where Are the Leftovers?

2011-11-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

I'm not ashamed to admit that for several years I've been making two separate dinners: one for my daughters, one for Hubby and me. They were so picky that making one meal for all six of us was a huge waste of food. Dinner with four is so hectic that it becomes easier for us to eat later. Most of the time we're so busy handling refills, etc. that we don't get to enjoy our meal. Lately, though, I've been trying to encourage my daughters to try new foods... meaning the same things we will be eating later. It's so much easier to pop in a casserole or a crockpot meal that will feed everyone, rather than try to figure out two different meals.
It's been an interesting experiment. They're not excited by acorn squash, but they devour spaghetti squash. Three of them like my white chicken chili and all of them ate pot roast and some asked for seconds. Hubby and I are glad they're trying new things, but it means we no longer have the luxury of taking leftovers for lunch the next day. Hubby was really trying to ration his pot roast serving so he would have something left for lunch. I think we had a small container of chili leftover, compared to the huge bowl of leftovers when just Hubby and I ate it.
So what does this mean? I'm going to have to calculate larger servings when I cook so we can still reap the benefits of leftovers.

What Do You Do With Your Clothes?

2011-11-09T07:15:00.001-07:00

I've written before about how great the clothing sale is that's put on by my moms of multiples group. We hold it two times a year and we all tend to unload a lot of clothes and bring in some extra cash. Unfortunately, no one currently wants to head up the ginormous work of coordinating the spring sale. No dates have been locked in and it's looking like the spring sale is a no go. Bummer!
I have four Rubbermaid bins and one garbage bag full of clothes and toys just waiting to be sold. Have any of you sold children's clothes through Ebay? Is it worth my time? How do I figure in shipping costs? I'm seriously considering going the Ebay route with roughly 20 items to see if it works.
Have any of you gone to a local consignment shop? I'm not sure how I feel about consignment since most stores give you a date to pick up whatever hasn't sold. I've read good and bad things about Once Upon a Child, which gives you cash on the spot. Anyone have an opinion?
A group called Just Between Friends hosts a sale twice a year near my home. The commission structure is similar to my moms of multiples group, but their "suggested pricing guide" is pretty high. I price my thing to sell and make a little bit of money to boot. I don't expect to be rolling in cash after the sales.
To be clear: I do donate to local charities. A lot. As I prepare for the sale I make a few piles: things to pass on to friends, things to donate to the charity that has me on speed dial and things to sell. Right before our sale last month I gave one bag of clothes to a mom with triplets and donated four bags to the aforementioned charity. I like donating and knowing the clothes will either help a friend or help a charity. Still, there are some items I have that are in excellent condition and could definitely bring in some much needed cash to our bank account. (And just for the record, I don't donate stained, icky clothes. I currently have two bags in the basement to donate that are full of hats, jeans and tops, all in great condition. I tend to donate the items that seem too tedious to tag for the sales).
So, anyone?! I'm open to suggestions on how to bring in a little extra income for the "higher end" items that my girls have outgrown.

My How Times Have Changed

2011-11-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

As part of the nightly homework in kindergarten, we are required to read together. This is not a big deal because my daughters love books. We started out letting each of them pick a book and reading to them one on one. For their birthday I gave them the complete set of Ramona books, so we have been working our way through those. (We actually read Beezus and Ramona about a year ago).
You can tell the books were not written recently. The language is a little more proper than what we use today and every now and then my girls have to ask "what does that mean?" In one of the books I had censor what I was reading because Ramona was intent on proving that her dad was the Tooth Fairy. Not all of my girls have lost their first tooth so I'm not ready to spoil the magic.

We are currently reading Ramona and Her Father. I really struggled with last night's chapter. This book mentions quite often that Ramona's father smokes. After dinner he'll ask Ramona to get him an ashtray. Last night's chapter focused on his smoking and kept describing the smoke rings that he would blow. Ramona and Beezus spent the chapter trying to convince their dad to quit his habit. Let's face it, if this book were written today I'm pretty sure all references to Mr. Quimby's smoking would have been removed. It certainly never came up in the movie based on the books.
Hubby and I don't smoke. No one in our family smokes, although he and I grew up around grandparents who smoked... a lot. I'm sure my daughters have seen people smoking when we're out and about, but it's never been an issue. I ended up using last night's chapter as a stepping stone to a bigger conversation: why you shouldn't smoke. It was a little bit much for them to comprehend, but I just couldn't read that chapter without making a point. I knew someday I would have to start addressing these issues, I was just a bit surprised that Ramona Q. initiated the conversation.

DST, Ruining My Routine Once Again

2011-11-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

I used to love "falling back." Turning the clocks back an hour meant an extra hour of sleep. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way with children. I have never once enjoyed an extra hour of sleep with my girls around. Yesterday they slept until what would have been 7:30 am just the day before. Today, they were up before the alarm for school. The last few weeks have been great. It's been dark until about 7 am or so, and I've had to wake them up for school. Now that we have set the clocks back an hour, I'll be lucky if they make it to 6:30 am! The sun is now up earlier and I guess we will be, too! One of these days my daughters will understand the luxury of sleeping in. Until then, I'll just have to hope they continue to whisper when they wake up.

The Winners Are...

2011-11-01T17:45:00.000-06:00

The three winners of the Shutterfly giveaway are:

Heather
Ashamuhlee
mmunford2000

If you have not received an email from me within the next 24 hours with your promo code, PLEASE contact me! Thanks to everyone who entered.

She Picked a Twizzler?!

2011-11-01T07:37:00.000-06:00

Until recently, I was a major chocoholic (chocaholic?!). My mom loved chocolate, so, naturally, I loved it, too. This, of course, became an issue around first grade when we learned I was allergic to caffeine (although now-a-days, doctors would say I have an "intolerance," not an allergy). Over the years I learned how much I could eat without becoming sick.
I used to need chocolate on hand at all times. I would buy bags of the miniature chocolate bars so if I had a craving I could cure it. One little mini and I was good. Two made my stomach hurt. I can't remember the last time I wanted chocolate, so it has been quite some time since we've had bags of mini chocs in the house.
Last night was a chocoholics dream... Halloween. Almost every house gave out chocolate. My girls surprised me. Early in the day they said "If we're really good can we have one piece of candy after we trick or treat?" One?! Yes. When we came home I let them go through their buckets and pick out one piece of candy. Tortilla picked a mini box of Milk Duds (mmmmm), Sue Sue picked an mini Almond Joy (ick, coconut?), Roo picked a mini Twix (my fav, especially when frozen) and Cakes picked a Twizzler. What?! Heck no. I told her to pick something better. There's nothing wrong with Twizzlers. When I was pregnant and not really keeping down anything I could keep down Twizzlers. But honestly, if you're shown 50+ pieces of candy and told to pick one, why would you pick a Twizzler?! Cakes picked again and decided on a Twix. Good girl. Unfortunately, as I went through the candy bags I realized they had received two, count 'em TWO Twix and those were just eaten by Roo and Cakes. Sigh. Well, at least Hubby has a plethora of his favorite... Almond Joy.
Time is running out to enter my Shutterfly giveaway!

They Have Their Daddy's Sense of Humor

2011-10-31T07:55:00.000-06:00

Hubby and I do not share the same sense of humor. What he finds hysterical, I might think "eh" and vice versa. He, however, is always making jokes and fancies himself a true comedian. Often times he'll tap a fake microphone and question "Is this thing on?" when I fail to double over at his jokes. Sometimes he actually is pretty funny, but our girls are apparently inheriting his questionable humor. Here are the recent gems I have been treated to:

"We're going faster than a one legged goat." (I have no idea what inspired one of my girls to say this. I actually found it quite funny, simply because it makes no sense).
"I'm sweating more than a turkey at Thanksgiving."

The list goes on and on. I really need to start writing these things down. At least they're starting to understand the concept of "funny" and "jokes." In the past I was treated to endless knock knock jokes that went something like this:

"Knock knock"
"Who's there?"
"Gorilla"
"Gorilla who?
"I want to go swimming"

Time is running out to enter my Shutterfly giveaway. This is definitely a fun giveaway to help reduce your budget for your holiday cards!

Pumpkin Weight Limits

2011-10-25T09:21:00.000-06:00

A few years ago, my moms of multiples group had its annual Halloween party at a local pumpkin farm. This place is awesome. You can go out to various fields, pick your pumpkin and cut it yourself. We've been going to that farm ever since the party.
The first time we went, Hubby and I were having so much fun that we let the girls each pick whatever pumpkin they wanted. Watching Hubby struggle to carry each of the pumpkins to the car made us realize we had to set some limits. There was no way I could help him with any of the pumpkins that year because they were so big. Carving them was a real challenge, too. So much pulp to pull out... but plenty of pumpkin seeds to roast.
This year we steered our girls toward smaller pumpkins. If they couldn't lift them, we weren't taking them. (By the way, this particular pumpkin farm charges you by the pumpkin, not by the pound, which makes for a relatively cheap outing, especially since there's no admission fee). They found reasonable pumpkins, thank goodness. On Sunday we got out markers and let them draw the faces they wanted, then Hubby and I carved them.

I think they turned out pretty nice. You can't tell in this picture, but the pumpkin on the far left has eyelashes. Roo added those with a marker because she wanted to make sure everyone knew it's a girl pumpkin.
This is the first year my girls have enjoyed roasted pumpkin seeds. In the past they would try one and that was it. This time Hubby and I were fighting them for the last few seeds! (I coated the seeds with olive oil, sprinkled on some seasoned salt and roasted them for 30 minutes at 300. Perfect!) I would say we're ready for Halloween!
There's still time to enter my Shutterfly giveaway for your chance to win 25 free cards!

We're Not in Preschool Anymore

2011-10-24T08:46:00.000-06:00

When my daughters started preschool I made an effort to spend some time in their class. It was fun to help out and get an idea of what they do on a daily basis. When the kindergarten teachers asked for classroom volunteers this year, I gladly signed up. Volunteering in kindergarten is nothing like volunteering in preschool. They actually put us to work!
I don't mind the work. I help out on Fridays, which is the day the homework folders are due. I usually sort out all the homework and prepare the folders for next week. Last week it took me about an hour to get all the papers sorted, so at least I saved the teacher one hour of extra work. This week will be my first time in the other kindergarten class, so it will be interesting to see what kind of work that teacher has for me.
I'm not as comfortable with the idea of pulling individual students out of the class to work with them. To me, that seems like more of a teacher or aide job. I don't mind helping the kids out as a group, but it seems awkward to have to take a child that I don't really know out of the class to essentially tutor him.
My daughters aren't so keen on the fact that I'm put to work while I'm there. They remember preschool and being able to sit with me during my "volunteer" time. I've tried to explain to them that there's a lot more work to be done in kindergarten, so it's nice for the teacher to have some helpers. Do I miss sitting on the carpet and singing songs? Sure. But I'm usually there during their first work assignment, so I make sure to spend time with each of my daughters while they're doing their projects. Even though it's not all fun and games in kindergarten, they still seem excited to have me there.
Don't forget to enter my Shutterfly giveaway! Three lucky readers will each win 25 free cards.

Christmas Card Blunder (Giveaway)

2011-10-21T14:27:00.000-06:00

The other day I was looking at one of the pictures we used three years ago for our Christmas card. It's a really cute picture of all four of our girls on a field trip at a local farm. They were three and it was their first preschool field trip. The picture is really sweet... until I started studying it and realized one of the girls is using her middle finger to point at the sky. How did it take me THREE years to figure this out?! Oh, and when I mentioned it to Hubby, he gave me an incredulous look and said "You're just now noticing that?" Thanks for the heads up, hon! Maybe most people never noticed it... or they're just too polite to point it out.
Picking out our annual Christmas cards is one of my favorite holiday traditions. School pictures are expensive, so this is the easiest way to give many friends and family a yearly picture. It takes many, many, many snaps to catch the perfect picture, but we usually have a lot of fun doing it.
Last year, Shutterfly gave bloggers a chance to write about their products and receive free holiday cards. The program is in place again, so of course I'm all over it. But this time, I also get to give three readers 25 free cards each! (More on that in a moment).
Shutterfly has long been one of my favorite photo sites. Before my girls were even a twinkle in my eye, I surprised my dad by making a calendar out of a bunch of photos he had taken. Once my daughters were born, I tried not to overdo it on the photo books. (They're so easy to make!)
I'm definitely excited about the prospect of creating our Christmas cards this year. My daughters understand the concept of "show me your best smiles." They rush to the camera after we take photos so they can see how the shots turned out (Ah, the delight of the digital age). This is the type of picture Hubby would prefer to use (those are Rudolph noses), but I usually go the Christmas dress route. (and yes, those are two of my girls!)

By now, you're wondering how to receive your own free cards through Shutterfly. If you're a blogger, you can register here for a chance to receive 25 free cards.
And, as I mentioned, Shutterfly is giving three lucky Buried in Laundry readers 25 free cards as well. To enter this giveaway: (leave a separate comment for each entry)

Visit Shutterfly and tell me which holiday card you like the best. No links necessary, just the "title" will do. This step is mandatory. No other entries will count without this step.
Become a follower of Buried in Laundry or leave a comment letting me know you already follow.
Tweet about this giveaway (one tweet per day). Include @quadmamablog in your tweet. (Remember to leave a comment here each time you tweet).
Blog about this giveaway and include a link back to this post.

Again, please leave a separate comment for each entry. You must include a valid email address in your comment!
The deadline to enter this giveaway is 5pm MST November 1, 2011. Once the winners are notified, they each have 48 hours to contact me with their mailing information or a replacement will be selected. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. If you don't follow the mandatory entry, no other entries will be counted.
(Disclosure: Shutterfly supplied me with 50 free holiday cards and will be providing 25 free cards to each of the three winners. No monetary compensation was given for this post. All opinions are mine).

The Winners Are...

2011-10-21T13:52:00.001-06:00

Three entries, three coupons to giveaway... this was easy. The winners of the Renuzit Fresh Accents Holiday Air Freshener giveaway are:

MaryAnne
Sarah
mmunford2000 (I can't find your email address!! Please email me ASAP at the address under my profile or leave a comment with your info so I can contact you!)

Congratulations!

Add Some Fun to Dinner

2011-10-19T10:55:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook and I decided to give it a try. It's actually easy to make. One thing I learned: it's easier to put the spaghetti in turkey dogs than in beef franks. I usually only give my girls turkey dogs, but someone had given us kosher hot dogs, which is why I had both in the fridge. I didn't make a whole lot because I had no idea what the reaction would be. They all asked for seconds and my pickiest, who hates to try anything new even if it's made with food she knows she likes, declared the spaghetti dogs to be "Awesome!"
Don't forget to check out my Renuzit Fresh Accents giveaway.

Bumblebee Wings Aren't Easy to Find

2011-10-18T09:25:00.000-06:00

Every year as we approach Halloween I wait to find out what my daughters want to be before I decide if I'll make the costumes or buy them. Two years ago they were all flowers. Easy. I made them. Last year I ended up buying their costumes because three of them received dress up costumes for their birthday and wanted to wear the outfits for Halloween (meaning I only had to buy one costume). This year I decided to tackle the costumes myself because they seemed easy enough: unicorn, ladybug, bumblebee and Smurfette.
First I headed to a local big box store and found legging with coordinating tops: two black outfits for the ladybug and bumblebee, a pink outfit for the unicorn and (duh) blue for Smurfette. While looking for ladybug antennae I found a really inexpensive antennae and wing set. Ladybug done! At the same store I found a bumblebee antennae and stinger. I bought it thinking the wings would be easy. I'll get to that in a minute.
I had the unicorn costume all planned out: yarn would be easy to make into the mane and tail and then I could use black construction paper for the hooves. Then at my moms of multiples sale I spied a unicorn costume... it's a head and hooves. For what the seller was asking, I scooped it up, but will still have to make a tail.
We ventured to the fabric store on Sunday (don't ever go to the fabric store on a weekend leading up to Halloween. We waited a good 15 minutes before our number was called at the cutting table). We bought felt for Smurfette's dress and hat, so now we (me?!) need to get cracking on actually making it.
Which brings me back to the bumblebee wings. Did you know you can buy wings in nearly every color EXCEPT for a color that would seem reasonable for a bumblebee? I looked for white, black and yellow. Everything I found was pink, green or purple. I looked through various websites for ideas, but everything seemed too complicated or too ridiculous. We finally found some adult sized yellow wings, but I wasn't convinced they would work. Next to the fabric store was a Halloween store. We ran in and could only find suitable wings that came with a costume. We don't need the whole costume, just the wings. While wandering around, we found white angel wings. They're going to have to suffice. They definitely work better than the adult wings.
Now we just need to use the yellow duct tape we bought to put stripes on the black shirt (although I was informed the other day by the bumblebee that bees are yellow with black stripes, not black with yellow stripes. Yeah? Too bad) and make Smurfette's dress. You know... in all that free time I have!
Don't forget to enter my Renuzit Fresh Accents giveaway!

The Scent of the Holidays (Giveaway)

2011-10-17T12:23:00.005-06:00

While I'm not a fan of the weather that comes with fall and winter, I do enjoy the smells associated with those seasons. Cinnamon is one of my favorite scents and it always reminds me of a cozy winter day. As a Purex Insider, I had the chance to try a new product to keep those scents around whenever I want!
It's called Renuzit Fresh Accents Holiday Air Freshener. I tried the Festive Snow and Winter Berry scents. I have to say, I didn't really like the Festive Snow scent. It was too strong. The Winter Berry scent is nice and light. Plus it has a warm feeling to it. The fresheners last for 30 days and don't require plugs, batteries or flames! No work... that's my kind of product! Plus it features a pretty snowflake design, which will help put you in the holiday mood.
Want to try the Renuzit Fresh Accents Holiday Air Freshener for yourself? Renuzit Brand will give three lucky Buried in Laundry readers a coupon for a free freshener. Here's how to enter the giveaway: (Leave a separate comment for each entry)

Leave a comment telling me what scent you associate most with your favorite holiday. This step is mandatory. No other entries will be counted if you do not complete this step.
Tweet about this giveaway and include @quadmamablog in your tweet.
Blog about this giveaway and include a link back to this post.
Follow Buried in Laundry or leave me a comment letting me know you're already a follower.

You must leave a valid email address with your comments or have an email address in your profile that's easy to find. The deadline to enter is 1pm MST Friday October 21, 2011. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Once the winners are selected they will have 48 hours to provide me with a valid mailing address or a new winner will be selected. I reserve the right to delete any comments/entries.
(Disclosure: As a Purex Insider, I was provided with two Renuzit Fresh Accents Holiday Air Fresheners. Renuzit Brand is supplying complimentary coupons for the three winners. No monetary compensation was given for this post. All opinions are mine).

Yep. It's One of Those Weeks

2011-10-13T09:45:00.000-06:00

Tortilla spent all weekend dealing with a nasty stomach bug. I won't give you the details, but it was brutal. By Monday, though, she was chipper and ready for school. Unfortunately, Hubby and I were both down for the count. We both woke up at 3 am, feeling the effects of Tortilla's bug. For whatever reason, Hubby decided he could get the girls to school. I didn't argue because I was miserable and I figured a child-free house would help with our recuperation. Until the school called at noon saying Sue Sue had an upset stomach. At that point, neither Hubby nor I were in any condition to go get her. Fortunately, my mother in law was able to retrieve Sue Sue (who, by the way, came home and did not appear to be the least bit sick). This is the first time we have both been violently ill at the same time. It was miserable. We managed to get through it, but it was not easy.
By Tuesday everyone seemed OK, but not 100%. Hubby and I slugged it out at work, and fell into bed around 9 pm. Wednesday I was ready to get back on track. I took everyone to school, hit the grocery store, did laundry.... and then received a phone call saying Tortilla had to leave school because she had a fever. (sigh). It didn't help that Sue Sue had an appointment in the afternoon that she couldn't miss. So I picked everyone up from school (the others were going to be picked up in an hour and a half anyway), let Tortilla rest and then went to the appointment.
By the end of the night, we were all exhausted, so it didn't help when Cakes woke up at 2 am, apparently the next victim of the bug. Today is only a half day of school, so I kept everyone home. There's no school tomorrow or Monday, so I'm really hoping everyone is better by Tuesday! Did I mention tomorrow and Saturday mark the fall sale for my moms of multiples group and I'm on the "team" that is organizing the sale. Yeah, did not need this illness this week! Oh, and today is Hubby's birthday, so we've had to cancel our night out. Thankfully, I had ribs in the freezer, so I can make my mom's "secret" rib recipe, which is one of his favorites. Now if I can just get my house disinfected... again!

Four Little Miss Independents

2011-10-11T07:36:00.000-06:00

I was fairly "strict" about what my daughters could wear to preschool. They could choose, but only from certain items. No dresses (too much running around and sitting on the floor), no short shorts, and nothing too nice. Too many outfits came home with paint or marker that wouldn't come off. I've definitely relaxed now that the girls are in kindergarten. There aren't as many marker and paint projects, so their clothes don't risk being ruined. If they want to wear dresses, they, at their request, wear leggings or shorts underneath.
My daughters love picking out their clothes for school. We do it the night before, mainly to avoid meltdowns if a favorite outfit is unavailable. I'm pretty sure Tortilla has worn a dress or skirt to school all but two or three days. My biggest issue now is that I don't want the teachers to think we only have two or three outfits. You see, every time I do laundry, my daughters automatically pick their favorite outfits again... which means if I were to let them they could wear the same outfit to school two or three times in one week! We've had a big talk about how you have to have some variety in your wardrobe. I've tried putting the newly washed items at the bottom of the clean clothes pile, but that doesn't seem to stop them from digging through their drawers.
It has actually been fun to see them express themselves through clothes. Some days I can tell what kind of mood their in by the clothes they pick. For instance, if Tortilla picks pants, I know she's grumpy.
I still have one rule: no dressy shoes for school. Between the two classes I can't keep track of who has gym class on which day (each class goes three times a week). Dresses? Yes.... as long as their worn with tennis shoes.

School and Appointments

2011-10-04T10:35:00.000-06:00

Trying to schedule yearly checkups (medical, dental, vision) is a huge pain this year. No one seems to care that if my daughters aren't scheduled after school, then they're likely going to miss at least a half day of school. I find it extremely frustrating that very few of our provides have family friendly hours.
When I scheduled our annual appointments with our pediatrician, I was told the latest I could bring all four of them in was 2pm. My other option? Take each of them in on different days. I'm already in need of more hours in a day, scheduling four different days of appointments isn't going to work. I tried to schedule the appointments on days they don't have school. The doctor doesn't see patients on Fridays (must be nice) and is off the entire week of Thanksgiving (not that I expected her to be available, but I was really trying to find a non-school day).
One of my daughters has a followup appointment with her physical therapist. Since we're no longer seeing the therapist on a weekly basis, we were basically stuck with whatever was left. (I get it. The weekly appointments should take priority). However, once again this particular provider doesn't see patients on Fridays. The latest appointment they could find for her was 2pm, so I have to pull all four girls out of school by 1pm to get to the appointment.
I actually stopped scheduling appointments with our opthalmologist (Blogger is telling me I spelled that word wrong, but I looked it up, so I don't know what gives) for this very reason. Once my daughters were no longer considered high risk from their premature births, we were relegated to seeing the doctor's assistant. Not a big deal.... but she only saw patients two days a week and only in the mornings. Considering preschool was only three hours a day, I didn't feel it was fair to ask me to have them miss a day of school for a routine checkup. I asked if we could see the opthalmologist, since her schedule was more flexible. I was told they would "prefer" to have the doctor only see the "priority" cases. Um, ok. So my daughters are healthy and suddenly not a priority? I switched to a different practice that gladly offers after school appointments and we are seen by the doctor.
I know when I was in school I had to leave early every now and then to go to the orthodontist, dentist, etc. Heck, by high school I was purposely making my appointments so I would miss a little school. But when you consider that many parents are also trying to juggle work schedules around these appointments, it sure would be nice to feel like an effort is being made to accommodate everyone. Yes, doctors and their staff have families, too. Would it be so hard, though, to have one night a week of extended hours or one Saturday a month where you'll see patients?

And the Competition Begins....

2011-10-03T07:29:00.000-06:00

Not to be outdone by Roo's three lost teeth, all accompanied by memorable stories, Tortilla decided it was her turn for the spotlight. On the first day of kindergarten, she came running out of the building to tell me she had a loose tooth. Apparently the carrot sticks I packed in her lunch helped jar the tooth loose. Then, a few weeks later, we noticed the tooth next to it was also loose. Last Thursday, Tortilla finally had her "loose tooth story."
Thursday night her two loose teeth were hanging by threads. I realized if they didn't come out that night, one or both might come out at school and truly become lost. I took her into the bathroom, shut the door to avoid curious sisters, handed her a tissue and told her to pull. Voila. One tooth out. She was so in awe of losing her first tooth that we needed Hubby to yank out the next one. (Trust me, it took just a small tug). And there you have it: Tortilla lost her first tooth and her second tooth within minutes of one another, definitely another fun "loose tooth story."
This all means, of course, that Cakes and Sue Sue are frantically wiggling their teeth to see if any of them are loose. So far, no. I'm afraid that by the time the fourth sister loses her first tooth her "story" will simply be "Remember how long it took for you to finally lose a tooth?!"

What Free Time?

2011-09-26T07:34:00.000-06:00

I always laugh a little when people find out my daughters are in full day kindergarten. One of their first questions is "What do you do with all that free time?" What free time? Don't get me wrong... I had visions of having some "me time," too, but it's not happening.
I work part-time, so my hours certainly vary. Now that my daughters are in full day school I've been able to change my work availability and work a decent amount of hours. My days typically consist of dropping my girls at school, going to work and then back to school to pick them up. I'm OK with that. It's a pay check.
On the days that I'm not scheduled to work, I'm running errands, namely going to the grocery store. If I'm lucky I can fit in a 3.5 mile walk. Other days, I'm wading through the laundry piles or trying to vacuum, clean, etc.
So, no, I still don't really have a lot of free time, but many days I manage to shower without anyone else in the house, (which means I'm not worrying about whether anyone is fighting downstairs). I consider that a victory!

Every Tooth Has a Story

2011-09-21T07:15:00.000-06:00

I don't remember having lots of stories to tell about losing teeth. They fell out. The Tooth Fairy visited. The end. Roo, on the other hand, has had a story about every tooth she has lost so far.
Her first tooth fell out on the fourth of July. That in itself seemed like a fun story since we were visiting family and they got to mark the milestone with us. But it gets better. She was eating watermelon and thought she had a seed in her mouth. She found the seed and threw it on the floor. Unfortunately, the "seed" was her tooth. It took several minutes, but we managed to find it.
Her second tooth also came out while she was eating. This time, however, we never found it. Why? Because she swallowed it. She and I wrote a letter to the Tooth Fairy, explaining what happened. If your mom or dad signs the letter, then the Tooth Fairy knows you truly did lose it.
The other night Roo lost her third tooth. She had asked me a few days before if I thought it was loose. It seemed like it might be loose, but didn't appear to be ready to come out any time soon. Wrong! She was brushing her teeth and when she "spit," a ton of blood filled the sink. It took me a minute to realize what had happened, since, again, the tooth didn't seem too loose. But where was the tooth? She swore she didn't swallow it. I figured when she spit, it went down the sink. She claimed it came out of her mouth when I wiped toothpaste off her chin. Sure enough... tooth in the tissue I used to wipe her chin.
Roo has great stories to tell about each loose tooth. I wonder if these tales will continue with the next teeth that come out. And in case you're wondering, the lost tooth count is Roo: 3, Sisters: 0. Needless to say, they're ready for some loose tooth stories of their own!

The Drop Off Lane

2011-09-20T07:56:00.000-06:00

We're nearly a month into the school year. You would think by now parents would have the drop off routine down pat. Wrong! The drop off is ridiculous. Nearly every parent thinks his or her time is more important than the person in the front of the line.
In theory, parents are not supposed to get out of their car in the drop off lane. Unfortunately, teachers have not been outside recently to help with the process. I don't have a problem with parents getting out of their car to help a child. Those of us with bigger vehicles know it can be difficult for a child to climb out while loaded down with a backpack and lunch box. When no teachers are outside, I wait to pull up to the very front of the line, get out, get all my girls out, say bye and get in my SUV and drive away. Then you have the parents who start unloading in the middle of the line, talk to their kids or a passing parent, heck, maybe even take their child by the hand and walk them to the school. No. NO. NO! If you're going to walk your child to the door, you need to park in the parking lot. It's a process, people!
Oh, and let's not forget the parents who drive into the parking lot and try to zip to the front of the line, bypassing all of us patiently waiting to unload. Yeah, I have to admit that when I have the chance I purposely make it so they have no room to pull in. It's the power of the SUV. I have to be to work, too, show some patience.
My biggest beef is the parents who peel into the parking lot. Seriously. It's a school full of young children. Slow down or it's going to be a disaster.
Now I'll step off my soap box! (for today)

Where Does the Time Go?

2011-09-19T09:52:00.000-06:00

My babies are six! How did they get so old? Their big day was yesterday and we all had a blast, despite a few snafus.
We started the day bright and early... 7am. I'm pretty sure they were up before then, but the night before I told them not to wake us up until the sun was up. I'm surprised they held off as long as they did. After opening gifts, Hubby made pancakes. I had to cut everyone off after two because I knew there would be plenty of cake and cupcakes to come.
Hubby picked up the cake for yesterday's party and the cupcakes for school. (Yes, I'm that mom, the one who sends in store bought cupcakes. I don't have the time to make 45 cupcakes!) Hubby came home with one box of cupcakes. I ordered two. I frantically called the bakery. The woman who answered tried to tell me I only ordered one box. I told her to look at the form again. She told me I filled the form out wrong. I told her a bakery employee filled it out. She said she would have the second box ready in about 10 minutes. Crisis averted, except for the fact that Hubby had to drive back to the store.
We celebrated with a small cookout in the backyard and only invited two families with children, plus our neighbors and my in-laws. At the last minute one family wasn't able to attend, but the other family we invited has triplets, so there were still plenty of kids to help us celebrate!
By the end of the night we were all exhausted. Two of my girls were asleep within minutes of being tucked in. The other two were out soon after that.
This morning they played a few rounds of their new game Hungry Hungry Hippo and then headed to school with 45 pink Toy Story cupcakes. All in all, it was a great 6th birthday!

Kindergarten Kids = Salespeople?

2011-09-14T09:32:00.001-06:00

When I picked up my daughters from school yesterday, one of them came rushing up, asking me if she could sell her toys to win prizes. Huh? The whole school had just come out of an assembly for a fundraiser. All the kids are being asked to sell crap (let's face it, that's what it is) and the more crap you sell the more prizes you win. (These prizes could also fall in the "crap" category as I think they're pretty much things from the dollar store).
I get that our schools are underfunded and do what they have to do to bring in money. But I hate that my nearly-six-year-olds had to sit through a sales pitch that involved being shown "fantastic" toys and prizes they can win.... if only they do their part.
I don't need what the school is selling, so why should I ask my neighbors, friends and family to cough up money for these items. Fortunately, there is an option that allows you to simply make a donation to the school. Each $10 donation counts toward a "prize" item. We'll go that route, I guess. Wouldn't it be easier to just institute an additional "fee" per family instead of asking our kids to go door to door?

The Unexpected Perk of All Day Kindergarten

2011-09-07T07:33:00.000-06:00

First off, this is probably going to be my only post this week. I'm calling this my "Ridiculously Crazy Busy Week." I typically work anywhere from 9 to 20 hours a week. This week, due to inventory, I'm working 30 hours. I'm not complaining because I cannot wait to see this pay check. BUT... I have little time for anything other than work and the girls' homework this week.
Anyhoo, now that you know why I'm MIA this week, I have to tell you about this great little perk of all day kindergarten. My girls are so hungry at dinner that they will eat almost anything I put in front of them. I've used this as a chance to experiment and get them to eat new foods.
It all dawned on me last week when I just could not fill them up. They ate and ate and ate and still wanted more when they were done with dinner. I talked to Hubby and told him the first thing I wanted to try was grilled chicken. Even my picky eater declared it "delicious." I will confess, though, that none of them were too gungho about the baked zucchini I served with the chicken.
A few nights later I did a toned-down version of stir fry. I baked chicken nuggets, steamed some carrots, cooked some rice and threw it all together. Definitely a hit. (Although cleaning up the rice that spilled on the floor was no fun). Hubby has an excellent homemade teriyaki sauce, which I would like to incorporate the next time I make this dish.
The other night we made homemade "chicken nuggets" from scratch. The girls had a lot of fun helping coat the chicken (dipping the pieces in egg and then throwing them in a bag of crumbs) and are eager to do it again.
Kindergarten may be wearing out all of us, but I'm glad it's helping my daughters expand their palette.

The After School Scramble

2011-09-01T07:24:00.000-06:00

People always say things to me along the lines of "I can't imagine what school mornings are like in your house." They're really not bad. My girls can dress themselves. They pick out their outfits the night before. They need some help with brushing their hair, but that's OK. I've even reached the point where I can let them tell me what they want for breakfast (within reason) and they can each have something different. I even have time to check my email before we leave the house. It's what happens after school that leaves my head spinning.
I won't rant about the pick up lane at school. It's stressful. It's chaotic. Any parent who picks up their child from school knows what I'm dealing with. Depending on the chaos of the day it can take me anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to get home. And then the real fun begins.
Our school district has a policy that every grade, including kindergarten, has to have at least 15 minutes of homework a night. Our two kindergarten teachers send home their packets on Monday with specific things (thank goodness they send home the same things) to work on every night. The packets are due Friday. For a family with one child, this homework should truly only take 15-20 minutes (I keep track of the time). Times four... at least an hour. Phew! I can't really do the homework as a group because a lot of it is "Tell me what letter this is" or "What sound does this letter make." Sue Sue would shout all the (correct) answers before her sisters if given a chance. Couple the homework with our required reading log (which I try to do one on one, even though I'm sure the teachers expect me to read one book to all four) and we have a lot to do. Fortunately, Hubby is often home before the girls and I get home, so he's a great partner. We can split the work, so it's a little less painful. (I like doing homework as soon as we get home because everyone is still in "school mode" and they haven't realized how tired they might be).
Then it's time for dinner. After that, it's a shower or a bath. It has been in the high 90's ever since the first day of school. They have three recesses a day, plus gym class three times a week. Trust me... they need to be bathed/showered every day! Then, if they're lucky, they have 45 minutes to an hour to veg in front of the TV before bed.
Today is the first day that I'll head directly from the morning drop off to work and then from work directly to the pickup. We'll see who is the most exhausted tonight!

Running Out of Options

2011-08-30T10:11:00.000-06:00

The novelty of eating in the cafeteria still hasn't worn off for my daughters. The excitement of packing their lunches has definitely worn off for me. Basically, I'm running out of healthy options.
Don't get me started on drinks. For whatever reason, the only juice boxes I can find are not 100% juice. My girls still struggle a bit with juice pouches (Caprisun, etc) and I can't blame them. Sometimes I have trouble opening them, too. It's easier to pack boxes, but I would much rather pack real juice than the stuff I'm finding.
Three of my girls are willing to experiment with sandwiches. They like turkey. They like peanut butter and jelly. (Thank goodness our school allows peanut butter). They'll even ask for sandwiches with just cheese. One of my girls refuses to try turkey, but she's happy with the other choices. (I should probably point out that they have insulated lunch bags and I throw an ice pack in each bag every morning). Still, I wish I could find more variety.
I tried packing carrot sticks. I stopped doing that after one my girls told me she gave away her carrots to a friend. I'll also pack a small bag of pretzels or chips. I've discovered, though, that they're not eating these at lunch. They save them for the car ride home.
My biggest issue in trying to find variety is time. The entire lunch period is about 40 minutes, but this includes a 20 minute recess. The actual eating time is about 15 minutes. I'm really struggling to find things they'll eat and be able to finish in that amount of time. Any input is appreciated!

The Story of Clementine

2011-08-29T07:53:00.000-06:00

Last Wednesday I dropped off my daughters at school, went to the grocery store and came home. Thank goodness I was paying attention, because in our driveway, directly in my path was this:

I pulled the car over, got her out of the road and proceeded to unload groceries. Then I took a picture and sent it to Hubby. My initial thought was to take her down the street where there's a big field and a reservoir. I became distracted and didn't follow through. Thank goodness I didn't take her there.
Hubby emailed me from work and told me to put the turtle in our backyard until he could figure out what to do with her. We didn't want her to get hit by a car or taken in by the neighbor girl who all but abuses her two dogs. Hubby did an Internet search and found a local reptile rescue group. Upon seeing the picture, the woman in charge told him the turtle is not native to our area and, if left to her own defenses, would die in the elements and/or spread diseases to the "wild" turtles. Her speculation was that the turtle was either an escaped or abandoned pet. She and Hubby started corresponding to figure out how the turtle could end up in the hands of the rescue group.
In the meantime, when my daughters came home from school I told them what had happened and let them see the turtle. For whatever reason, they decided to name her Clementine. (Internet research leads us to believe the turtle is female).
The rescue group wanted Hubby to drop off Clementine on Saturday. He told the woman a) it was kind of a long drive and b) he would have to bring the girls since I would be working. She told him they don't allow kids in the facility. Ummm, ok. So he asked her if there was a volunteer in our area who could pick up Clementine since she's, in my opinion, a dire case, meaning she's not native and can't just be turned loose. The woman informed Hubby they don't "typically" do that so could he still drive nearly an hour on Saturday to drop off the turtle.
We contemplated keeping Clementine. Our girls really wanted to keep her. Every morning before school they made me go in the backyard to check on her. The other day they watched her eat lettuce and berries. They were delighted when she pooped in the box we used for her feeding. Unfortunately, she requires both an indoor and outdoor habitat, one that we don't have the time or money to maintain. As much as it would be fun to have a turtle, she's just too much work.
Fortunately, Hubby found a second local reptile rescue group. This one has volunteers who are willing to drive anywhere in the state for a reptile. (I think that's because they deal mainly with snakes and such that people took in as pets and no longer want). The leader of the group is located near Hubby's work. So this morning, Clementine is on her way to work with Hubby to picked up by this group. She'll spend 90 days in their care while they determine if she's healthy enough to be adopted out. Hopefully after that time period she'll find a family with the time and energy to provide her a good home.

The Downside of Home Ownership

2011-08-23T09:46:00.000-06:00

Don't get me wrong... I'm glad I'm not a renter. But I swear when one home improvement need arises, a million more get added to the list. I miss the days of being able to call a landlord and have the problem fixed right away. (Unless you are a college student and rent from a well-known slumlord. Then he will simply send a bouncer from one of his bars to take a look at your broken fridge. Said bouncer will give you an extension cord and wish you luck. True story).
Our summer of battling the sprinkler system came to a head last night when one of the pipes broke. We're hoping it's an easy fix since it's an above ground pipe. Of course, this means we're not running the sprinklers while it is nearly 100 degrees outside, so our grass will suffer and our HOA will likely fine us for brown grass.
Then there's the gutter on the roof that is still pulling away from the house. This is why you should not rely on someone who owes your father-in-law a favor to fix the gutter for free.
Still, I'm just glad we are able to afford the luxury of a house. We spent three months in an apartment just before our girls turned two. It wasn't fun. It's not something I want to experience again. I guess I'm just going to have to win the lottery and hire a team of employees to take care of all my lawn and home repair needs! (In that case, I'll hire a house keeper, chef and chauffeur, too!)

You Can Tell Which Moms Have Kindergartners

2011-08-22T09:39:00.000-06:00

The kindergarten moms (and dads) at my daughters' school are easy to spot. We are the moms who stayed until the first bell on the first day and reluctantly walked to our cars when our children went in the building. We are the moms who stayed until the first bell on the second day, but tried not to be overbearing as our children ran around on the playground before the bell. We are the moms who spent Friday standing off to the side, practically in the parking lot, joking with one another that on Monday we would suck it up and simply drop our children off in the front of the building, let them walk to the playground and stay out there until the first bell all by themselves (well, with teacher supervision, of course).
I don't know about the other moms, but I managed to do just that this morning. It was a little unsettling watching my four girls walk to the back of the school by themselves. Even they weren't sure they were up for the challenge. They made it to the playground and probably forgot about me the minute they climbed on the swings. I'm slowly learning to let go.

The First Day

2011-08-18T07:10:00.000-06:00

We did it! We all made it through the first day of kindergarten! I even made it through the drop off with just a few tears trickling down my face. I'm not necessarily a sensitive person, but I am emotional. I cry when I'm happy, sad, angry, you name it. Then I typically cry harder because I'm so annoyed that I'm crying.
My meltdown actually happened the night before the first day. I made all their lunches and tucked a surprise Tootsie Roll in each lunch box... and then started crying. I was imagining my "babies" being such big girls and doing big girl things, such as eating in a cafeteria. I felt silly for crying, but I'm glad I got it out. I think had I not had that cry, I might have been bawling at the drop off.
The first day went great, except for a few minor things. All my girls know to give swings a wide berth. Unfortunately, the kindergarten playground has monkey bars and Sue Sue walked too close while a boy was on them. She took a hard kick to the face before school even started. She shed a few tears and then shook it off. Roo was apparently called a "doofus" by a classmate, but Tortilla walked up to the little girl and said "Don't ever call my sister that again." There are some benefits to having siblings in the same class! Oh, and I walked out the door without grabbing the bag of school supplies! Oh well. I managed to get four girls, four backpacks and four lunch boxes to school. I would say the points are in my favor.
Despite a few bumps in the road, they had blast. They chatted nonstop about all the things they did. I expected them to be wiped out after an entire day in school, but they didn't seem to be tired at all. In fact, they were somewhat annoyed that it was dinner time within an hour of coming home. (Although all four claimed to be "starving" when I picked them up!) Still, they were asleep the minute their heads hit the pillows last night.

All in all, this is looking like it will be a good year!

It's Almost Time

2011-08-16T09:09:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is the big day. My babies, who insist they are not babies, will be going to kindergarten! I can't believe how time flew by this summer. We didn't do everything I had envisioned, but we still had a lot of fun.
Yesterday we spent about an hour and a half at school for kindergarten assessment. Other than the girls not being assigned to the right teachers, everything was fine. The teacher situation was quickly resolved, too. (It was more of an issue of the "pairings," than the teachers. I requested that Cakes and Tortilla be separated since they're my identicals. They were put in the same class, but it was an easy fix to switch Tortilla and Sue Sue).
I would love to tell you what happened during the assessment, but I wasn't allowed to be involved. I sat out in the hallway while they met individually with their teachers. I think this was a good thing as it meant fewer distractions for them as they were "assessed." Plus, it gave their teachers a chance to get to know them one on one. (According to Sue Sue "Some things were easy. Some things were hard." I peeked in on one assessment. It involved counting, identifying letters, sounds, etc.)
And so, we are headed to the pool today one last time before school starts. Their clothes for tomorrow are picked out. Hubby and I have a "breakfast date" after we drop them off. And I expect everyone to be exhausted by the end of tomorrow!

We're All Pierced

2011-08-10T08:57:00.000-06:00

It took a looooong time, but all four of my girls finally have pierced ears. If you've been reading my blog, then you'll know pierced ears was their reward if they stopped sucking their thumbs. Roo was the first to get pierced, since she never sucked her thumb. By the end of May, I had three girls with pierced ears. And then there was Sue Sue.
She simply didn't want to stop sucking her thumb. When I first suggested pierced ears, she immediately stopped sucking her thumb during the day. But the night was a different story. She didn't try to stop... she didn't want to stop. Eventually I just stopped pushing the issue. If she didn't want pierced ears, then so be it.
A few weeks ago, I noticed that while she does suck her thumb at night, it's very rare, and only when she's in a deep sleep. Then I noticed that two of her sisters do the same thing... only when they're in a deep sleep. And so, Sue Sue now has pierced ears.
Looking back, I'm glad all four were pierced at different times. It made the cleaning process a lot easier. Knock on wood, we haven't had any issues with infections and all four have been really good at reminding me to clean their piercings. Now if I could just find an incentive to get them to clean up their toys every night....

Our Grocery Game

2011-08-08T09:31:00.000-06:00

For whatever reason, it has become easier to take all four of my girls to the grocery store, rather than wait for Hubby to come home and go by myself. This is not something I would have tried a year or so ago, but my girls have been surprisingly well behaved on all of our recent grocery outings. They do, however, seem to think we should buy everything in the bakery and in the cookie aisle. To avoid the "can we buy this?" conundrum, we've started playing a new "game." Every week we make it our mission to find a fruit we've never tried.
It all started a few weeks ago when the price of blueberries was ridiculous. My girls were disappointed that we weren't going to buy one of their favorite fruits, so when I saw star fruit, I appeased them with that. They were hooked and have been looking forward to finding a new fruit each week.
So far we've tried:
Star fruit - they all liked it
Kiwi - they all liked it (they've had kiwi in fruit salads before, but it was fun for them to see what the fruit looks like in its skin)
Apricot - only two liked this
Pineapple - they all liked it (they've had pineapple, but this was the first time they've had a whole pineapple)
Papaya - no one really cared for this. I tried it and wasn't impressed. I may not have bought a ripe one.
This little experiment of ours has been fun for all of us, but a bit of a challenge, too. My web searches lately have consisted of "How to cut (insert fruit here)." Surprisingly, out of all the new things we've tried, the whole pineapple has been one of the easiest to peel and cut.
As the summer winds down, our fruit selections are going to be limited. I just don't know that we would have the same outcome trying different vegetables, so I'm thinking once a week we'll have to find a new recipe to try. It should be fun to see what they come up with.

The Eating Habits of Little Girls

2011-08-03T09:32:00.000-06:00

Several times at the grocery store, as I fill my cart with 4 or 5 gallons of milk, I've been stopped by another shopper who says "Oh, you must have teenage boys." "No," I'll say, "Just quadruplet girls who can't stop eating." We all know the stereotype about teenage boys. Supposedly they eat their parents out of house and home. I'm beginning to think the same is true for girls between the ages of four and... I'll let you know when it stops.
I can always tell when my girls are going through growth spurts. They simply can't get enough to eat. They used to eat three chicken nuggets, a serving of vegetables, maybe some mashed potatoes and feel stuffed. Now they can eat six nuggets, vegetables, two servings of potatoes, drink all their milk and still want more. (I don't know about you, but I don't know if I could eat that much in one sitting and not feel ready to explode). Our monthly visits to Sam's Club have turned into every 2 to 3 week visits. I'm constantly looking for sales on what they eat most, but our refrigerator is always stuffed, rarely giving me the opportunity to stock up.
And so, after much discussion, over the weekend we became a two fridge family. This has actually been a long time coming. Soon after our daughters were born, we knew we would need either a deep freezer or another refrigerator. Eventually, we decided the deep freezer wasn't the best idea, since both our freezer and our fridge are stuffed to the gills after our weekly shopping trips. We've been putting it off, but once I realized I didn't have enough room to store four lunch boxes each night, we decided it was time to make the plunge. (I will be working in the morning after dropping my girls off at kindergarten, so lunches have to be made the night before. There's no way I can get all five us ready each morning and make them a decent lunch to take to school).
We initially looked at putting our current fridge in the garage and upgrading to a nicer one, but the one we have is still in good shape. Since we were purchasing a "garage fridge" we actually found a decent deal. It's pretty spacious in both the freezer and the fridge and will definitely come in handy. Now I'm off to the grocery store to fill it up!

Finally Some Relief

2011-08-02T09:46:00.000-06:00

For the longest time I have had a small patch of dry skin on one of my legs. Nothing was helping. Eczema? I don't know. All I know is it was red and itchy and annoying. Then I tried Triple Cream. This stuff is amazing. Unlike other creams, this one immediately started working and the dry skin was cleared up within two days. I'm definitely a fan.
I only have two complaints about triple cream. It has the consistency of diaper cream, so it's not something I can put on after my morning shower because I don't want it all over my clothes. My other complaint? Apparently my skin is addicted to it. If I go just one day without it, the dry skin starts coming back. That's OK, a little bit goes a long way!
Summer Laboratories currently has a fun promotion going on for families of triplets (or more). It's called Triple Paste for Triplets. Parents with triplets (or more) who are less than one year old can sign up here to receive a bunch of goodies. You'll get a 16 oz. jar and a 2 oz. tube of Triple Paste medicated diaper rash ointment, one 2 oz. tube of Triple Cream, an embroidered brushed cotton receiving blanket and a Triple Paste comfort bear for each baby. Plus you'll become a member of the Triple Paste for Triplets savings club and receive a 30% discount and free shipping on all future Triple Paste orders. I know most of my "multiple" readers have twins, but this is definitely a promotion worth passing on to your local moms of multiples club!
(Disclosure: Summer Laboratories asked me to write about the program and provided me with a complimentary bottle of Triple Cream. No monetary compensation was given for this post. All opinions are mine!!!!)

Slightly Panicked

2011-08-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

On Friday I took my daughters shopping for school supplies. Somehow, we managed to come in under $100, if you don't count back packs and lunch bags. Kindergarten school supplies are fairly basic: markers, water colors, 96 #2 pencils. Yes, 96. (OK, 24 per student, so 96 for our family). I will count myself lucky for finding the supplies at a relatively decent total price, because I'm sure next year the list will be more specific and cost much more.
Then on Friday night I received an email from the school. The first day of kindergarten has changed. Changed. CHANGED! It is now five days earlier than we originally planned.
I could go on a big rant about the principal and say things such as "How dare he?!" But the truth is, I completely understand why he made the change (even if it would have been better to have made the change at the end of the previous school year). Traditionally, full day kindergarten, half day kindergarten and preschool start on the same day. This causes what I like to call "parking lot chaos" at our school. The parking lot is small, which makes sense since elementary kids can't drive. This is all fine, until there's a big day at the school: parties, field days, and the first and last day of school. The road in front of the school turns into a make shift parking area, and this is not a road full of cautious drivers. Anyone without a student speeds through the school zone, regardless of the signs posted. It's not unusual for a police officer with a radar to be situated in front of the school during the first few weeks.
Anyway, the first day of kindergarten has been changed in order to stagger the start dates for full day, half day and preschool. I'm on board with change because of the parking lot situation and because instead of starting on a Monday we will now start on a Wednesday. This means my girls will spend three full days in kindergarten, then have a weekend and then embark on a full week of full day school.
Unfortunately, I'm now in slight panic mode. Hubby and I are now frantically trying to reschedule vacation days to accommodate the new first day rather than the old first day. Our summer break has now been cut by five days, not a huge deal, but takes away our last few days at the pool. Oh and did I mention that by the time you read this I will have just 16 days to get us ready to go back to school?! Yes, I'm slightly panicked.

The Winner Is....

2011-07-31T09:19:00.000-06:00

The winner of the Fiber One 80 Calories Cereal prize pack is:

Toystory

Thank you to everyone who entered!

We're a Classy Family

2011-07-27T09:49:00.000-06:00

In a few weeks Hubby and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. While we should be planning a fun night out for the two of us, that's just not going to happen. Our babysitting situation is, to say the least, unpredictable. (I think that's the nicest way to say it). So, rather than be disappointed at the last minute or have to deal with ridiculous drama, we have decided to simply have a celebration with the six of us. It's not exactly the way I imagined spending my 10th wedding anniversary. Shouldn't we be revisiting our honeymoon destination (Hawaii) or gifting me with diamonds?!
Anyway, last night I casually asked the girls where they thought we should go for dinner. Their answers were quite amusing:

"McDonald's!!!"
"Taco Bell!!" (I think they've eaten there once)
"Pizza Hut!" (Again, not regulars there)
"Taco Bell. No, wait... Target!"

I tried to explain that Target doesn't have a restaurant, but it was pointed out to me that the Pizza Hut Express at our local Target has an area with a few tables. I lost that argument.
I think we'll veto their choices and go for something a little classier... you know, Chili's, Olive Garden, something with style!
Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

5 Going on 50

2011-07-26T08:25:00.000-06:00

It is always fun for me to check on my daughters before I go to bed. They have such different "sleep personalities." Roo's signature sleeping position is what I call "The Frog." While in the NICU, she was often positioned to sleep on her stomach with her arms and legs bent, making her look like a tiny frog. (Yes, babies should sleep on their backs, but when they're hooked up to a zillion monitors I guess it doesn't matter). She still ends up in this position when she's in a really deep sleep.
Sue Sue often sleeps on her back. I don't know how she finds this comfortable. I am not a back sleeper. Still, most nights that's what she prefers.
Cakes is often sprawled on her stomach, with her arms and legs going every which way. Typically she will roll around and end up sleeping across the width of her bed. I end up moving her back to her pillow almost every night.
And then there's Tortilla. Like her sisters she has a pillow and a Pillow Pet on her bed. For the longest time she would sleep on her Pillow Pet and I would have to move her other pillow to give her more room. Then one night she said "Someone keeps moving my pillow." I explained to her that I had moved it so she wouldn't be cramped in her bed. She looked at me and said "That's my back pillow!!" So now each night I fight the urge to rearrange her pillows, no matter how uncomfortable she may seem. After all, her "weary" 5-year-old body needs the comfort of a back pillow!
Don't forget to enter my Fiber One 80 Calories cereal giveaway!

Giveaway: Fiber One 80 Calories Cereal Prize Pack

2011-07-25T09:23:00.002-06:00

I am a big fan of cereal for breakfast. A bowl of cereal tends to fill me up, but not make me feel as though I've started my day with the "wrong" food. That's why I was excited to be asked by My Blog Spark to try Fiber One 80 Calories cereal.
I'm smitten. This cereal has a light honey flavor. It's filling and satisfying, which helps me get through the morning. While I'm not a huge calorie counter, I like that the box tells you how many more calories you'll add if you pair the cereal with cut up strawberries (25 calories for a 1/2 cup, FYI). I've seen tons of commercials for Fiber One products during which the actors extoll the wonders of how full the food will make you feel. I was skeptical. I have to say I've been eating this cereal every morning for about a week and I no longer have the mid-morning "I need food now" moments that I have experienced after eating other cereals. I definitely recommend giving this cereal a try.
Now for the fun part. General Mills and My Blog Spark are providing one lucky Buried in Laundry reader with a prize pack, which includes one box of Fiber One 80 Calories cereal, one sensor pedometer with USB connector to chart walking progress and one neoprene iPod/Smartphone holder with an arm strap.

To enter the giveaway: (all comments must contain a valid email address or your address must be easy to find on your profile)

Leave a comment telling me what song helps jump start your exercise routine. This step is mandatory. No other entries will count if you do not complete this step.

For additional entries: (leave a separate comment for each entry)

Become a follower of Buried in Laundry or let me know if you already follow
Tweet about this giveaway (one tweet a day) and include @quadmamablog in your tweet

Blog about this giveaway and include a link back to this post

The deadline to enter this giveaway is 9am MST Sunday July 31, 2011. The giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only. Once the winner is randomly selected and notified, he/she will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. I reserve the right to delete any entries (because I'm getting tired of people not following the mandatory entry step but trying to enter by completing other steps).
Disclosure: General Mills and My Blog Spark provided me with a prize pack identical to what the winner of this giveaway will receive. All opinions about Fiber One 80 Calories Cereal are my own.

Why I'm Strarting to Enjoy Facebook Again

2011-07-19T09:23:00.000-06:00

It took me awhile to get on the Facebook bandwagon. Who wants to put that much personal information out there? Who has time for it? Once I finally joined, I was initially obsessed. It was fun to see what my peers have been doing since graduating high school and college.
Then the thrill wore off. I would still go on once a day or so, but if I didn't, I didn't care. Now I'm back to having fun with it. Why? Because I've found tons of pages that offer coupons, freebies, etc.
Months ago I "liked" the page for my local Chick-Fil-A. This provided me an opportunity to take my daughters for a free lunch when the restaurant was testing a new program. The need for volunteers was advertised only on Facebook. Tomorrow I'm going to make $50 for one hour of work for helping my local children's hospital test a new website. Again, volunteers were only recruited via Facebook. A few weeks ago a friend encouraged me to "like" the page "Money Saving Mom." The page constantly alerts fans to freebies and coupon deals. In just one week I've earned a coupon for a free bag of salad, a free sample of body wash and a coupon for free cat food. I'm all about free, plus it's always fun to try new things.
If you have even a remote interest in Facebook, I would encourage you to figure out what you like and then "like" those pages. You never know what deals will come your way!

The Backpack Battle

2011-07-13T09:48:00.000-06:00

When my daughters started preschool we had a fun time picking out backpacks. By sheer luck, I found bags that were smaller than a traditional backpack, which worked great since my girls weren't quite 3-years-old. I let them pick whatever character they wanted and none of them ended up picking the same thing.
By their third and final year of preschool, it was clear their backpacks had seen better days. The straps were either broken or on the verge of breaking. Plus, the once size-appropriate backpacks now seemed too small. My daughters kept asking when they could get new backpacks. My answer: when you start kindergarten.
We are now in the process of getting ready for kindergarten and my girls are excited to buy new backpacks. However, they are not excited by my rule: no characters. Cakes had her heart set on a Rapunzel backpack. I thought long and hard before I made my decision. I'm not buying new backpacks every year, although I will buy them on an as-needed basis (loss, damage, etc). My concern is that while Rapunzel (or Sleeping Beauty or Tinkerbell or Minnie Mouse) is the coveted character this year, next year she may be so "last year." Considering how much backpacks cost, I'm not going to buy a character backpack this year, only to be informed it's babyish in first grade.
I've made a deal of sorts with my girls. If they choose a "plain" backpack that will last for several years, I'll let them pick a character lunch box. They seem OK with this arrangement, but so far we haven't found a Rapunzel lunch box. (This may not matter as Cakes is now leaning toward a Hello Kitty lunch box).
On a side note, as Purex Insider, I submitted an article to Purex and it was selected for the company's website. You can read it here.

An Interesting Revelation

2011-07-12T08:46:00.000-06:00

When it comes to personalities, Sue Sue is typically my most outgoing daughter. She's chatty. She's friendly. She's precocious and precious. She's also extremely stubborn. She knows what she wants. Her favorite phrase right now is "Why should I?" She is what my mother meant when she said one day I would have a daughter just like me. And yet, she is still the sweetest thing ever.
One night during our vacation each of the girls had a small personal container of ice cream. Sue Sue picked mint chocolate chip. She delighted my family (some of whom she was meeting for the first time) by eating her ice cream and repeatedly pointing out that I never buy mint chocolate chip ice cream. According to her I only buy "boring vanilla." (This is not true. Sometimes I do buy mint chocolate chip, but overall we don't have a lot of ice cream in the house). Then she pointed out that whenever the ice cream truck drives by the house, I never let her buy ice cream. (This is true. I'm not shelling out money for overpriced ice cream from a creepy dude in a truck). At this point we had just spent two days on the road. I was exhausted. Out of exasperation I said "Well, I guess I'm just the meanest mom in the world." Sue Sue looked at me, stunned and said "No. You are not a mean mom. You're pretty nice." I hope this has nothing to do with the fact that one of the movies we watched in the car was Annie. Compared to Miss Hannigan, I'm the best mom on the planet!

Are We There Yet?

2011-07-11T08:58:00.005-06:00

If you hadn't noticed, I've been gone for a few days. Well, more like a week. We took a vacation of sorts and visited my family in Ohio. We haven't made this drive in several years. It involves driving for two days through many states. We were on the road for 12 hours one day and 8 hours the next. (We broke it up that way so we could spend the night with relatives rather than stay in a hotel).
I dreaded traveling with four 5-year-olds. I envisioned constantly being asked "Are we there yet?" Instead, they traveled surprisingly well. They asked that question repeatedly, but understood the concept of "No, we have to watch two more movies before we're there." (If you don't have a portable DVD player, get one. It was a wonderful thing to have on this trip!)
Here are somethings I learned on this vacation:

The Tooth Fairy will find you even if you're not home. Roo lost her first tooth on the 4th of July. I knew the tooth would likely come out on our vacation, so I took her gold coin with us. She, her sisters and her two cousins were delighted to wake up the next morning and find the gold $1 coin.
Clouds are made in Indianapolis. We drove by some type of steam-emitting factory in Indianapolis and the girls insisted it was a "cloud factory." Who knew Indiana was home to Mother Nature?
Water parks are fun at any age. We spent an afternoon at a swimming pool with a water slide. None of my girls nor their younger cousin were tall enough to go on the water slide by themselves. Fortunately we had enough adults to take them down. It was fun, but I was pretty bruised at the end of our water adventure.
Old habits are hard to break. As a child and teenager, family vacations meant popping on my ear phones, turning on my Walkman and sleeping in the car. I can become severely motion sick, so sleeping was the best way to get through a long trip. Now that I'm an adult I sit in the front and motion sickness isn't a problem. Unfortunately, if I'm in the car for more than an hour, I have the irresistible urge to sleep. I'm not sure how Hubby felt about that, although I tried to stay awake for most of the drive.
It pays to have a creative sister. My sister has my mom's superb sewing skills. She made pillowcase dresses for the girls and their younger cousin for the 4th of July. The dresses turned out amazing! (Can you tell which one of my daughters wants to be on Toddlers and Tiaras?)

I had a heck of time adding this picture to the post, so I'm not going to worry that it's not all nice and centered like I wanted!
All in all, we had a blast. We are exhausted! We returned on Saturday and since then I have been frantically doing laundry! I'll have more to post about our vacation in the days to come.
On a side note, I wanted to let you know about a deal being offered by Purex and Parents magazine. The two have teamed up to offer a full year subscription to Parents for just $4! All you need to do is visit
https://www.purex.com/parents-promo and enter promo code PX0167 at check out. (You'll have to cut and paste the link because Blogger and I are not getting along this morning).

Why I Can't Buy Fireworks

2011-06-29T09:46:00.000-06:00

Growing up, I used sparklers and those weird things called snakes. No big deal. Some day my daughters will likely hold a sparkler... under strict supervision, of course. But they won't be sparklers bought by me. I cannot bring myself to go in to those big establishments (or, in the case of my neighborhood, the roadside tent) where they sell oodles of fireworks.
The summer before my senior year in college, I interned at a TV station in West Virginia. One day, just before the 4th of July, a huge fire broke out in a fireworks store. At least 8 people died. The fire started when a man went into the store with a lit cigarette. The man was mentally disabled and some reports suggested he was "dared" to light the fireworks inside by some dumbass teenagers. (That allegation was long disputed and I don't know what ever came of that). From what I can find in Internet searches, the man is still confined to a mental institution after being found incompetent to stand trial.
This was my first time covering a situation involving such heartache and tragedy. I watched desperate family members stand outside the yellow police tape, waiting for news of loved ones. I saw video of a young boy, clearly in shock, coming out of the building and trying to figure out where the rest of his family was. It wasn't an easy story to cover.
A few years later, while working at a reporter in another state, I was assigned to do a fluff piece, typical 4th of July fireworks story. At a fireworks store. I can't explain the wave of panic that came over me. I did the story.... and got the heck out of there as fast as I could. I kept one eye on the exit and stayed as close to the doors as I could.
Every year, a red and white tent sets up just outside our neighborhood (we're right by a major highway) with huge signs screaming "Fireworks!!!" Smaller signs warn "No smoking." I drive by, tighten my grip on the steering wheel and vow never to set foot in there.

Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle

2011-06-28T08:52:00.000-06:00

For months now, each of my daughters has been convinced she has a loose tooth. From time to time they have even convinced me they have a loose tooth. It seems like it might be moving. Then Hubby all but rolls his eyes and concludes the tooth is not loose. As I found out the other night, you'll know when your child has a loose tooth.
I floss the girls' teeth every other night. If you are able to floss your child's teeth every single day, then go ahead and judge me for only doing it every other day. The nightly routine is chaotic enough. I'm surprised we stick to the every other night flossing. Besides, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I flossed as a child. Anyway..... I was flossing Roo's teeth and kept looking at one of her front bottom teeth. Why was there suddenly a strange gap between that tooth and the tooth next to it? Oh no... are we going to have to go in for an emergency dental appointment? I touched the tooth with the flosser. It moved. Yep. Our first loose tooth. We had to halt the tooth flossing and brushing so she could wiggle the tooth for her sisters and Hubby. Hubby, of course, did not believe us, until he wiggled the tooth for himself.
He and I agreed... that tooth is likely coming out in the next week. This sent me into a panic. When he and I went downstairs I threw $10 at him, with strict instructions to go to bank the next day and get gold $1 coins. I've been meaning to do this, but kept putting it off. Can you imagine what would happen if the Tooth Fairy dropped the ball on our first tooth?! And yes, I said $1. I think for my first ever visit from the Tooth Fairy I received a silver dollar. After that, teeth were probably worth 25 cents. Do not tell my daughters there are children out there who receive $5 or even $10 per tooth. We would be in the poor house!!! This Tooth Fairy hands out $1 gold coins.
And now we wait. Every morning we wiggle Roo's tooth. She's a little concerned about when it might fall out. I've assured her it won't come out in the pool or while she sleeps. I've explained to her that it might fall out when she's eating, so if she bites something hard she should spit it out. That's all we need... for her to swallow her first loose tooth! So far, none of her sisters are jealous. Sure, they want to know when they will have a loose tooth. But for now they're content to be excited for their sister.

What Can 5-year-olds Watch?

2011-06-27T09:24:00.000-06:00

While I try not to have the TV on all the time, there are times when my daughters do watch television. In the summer it's not on very often because we're out enjoying the parks, pools and even just our own back yard. But some days, after all the running around, we only have the energy to come home, sit on the couch and watch some TV. The problem, though, is that right now my girls are either too old or too young for what's being offered.
Dora, Elmo, Backyardigans, Yo Gabba Gabba... we've out grown them. Their lessons are great, but I think my daughters have finally figured out that they need to share and they shouldn't bite their friends. Hannah Montana and all her Disney cohorts are something I just don't think we're ready for. Do 5-year-olds need to watch shows that have plot lines centered around dating? Forget Spongebob. I don't like him and we don't watch it. Ever.
PBS has the most educational offerings and even its animated shows tend to go beyond the preschool crowd. Arther and Cyberchase come to mind as two shows that are still suitable for the kindergarten crowd. Long before we had cable we only used an antenna, so PBS was our only option. I think that's why my girls tend to overlook those shows.
Fortunately, being "in between" shows, means my girls are engaging in more creative play. Right now the TV is off and they've created an "animal city" out of blocks and bricks. It has kept them entertained for the last hour.

When a Quadruplet Gets to Be a "Normal" Kid

2011-06-23T09:50:00.000-06:00

This month, I've had the time to participate in some of the activities offered by my moms of multiples group. It's been a lot of fun seeing my girls interact with other multiples (mostly triplets) and even more fun when they get to just be kids and not "The Quads."
The camping trip we went on earlier this month was organized by my moms of multiples group. It's the first activity we've done with the group where my girls are old enough to understand "triplets, quadruplets, etc." and where they've been old enough to not be shy. They had a blast playing with their new friends and it was so nice to not have to constantly answer the "Are they quadruplets?" question. I mean when you're running around with 21 triplets, no one really cares if you're a quadruplet!
Yesterday we went to the zoo with my moms of multiples group. I think we ended up with about 21 kids. Normally a zoo outing for our family ends with me wanting to tell people "It's the animals who are on display, not us." (Yes, most people are just curious and kind, but it's hard not to get frustrated when you're simply trying to enjoy the day). Yesterday, we just looked like one of the day care groups spending the day at the zoo. We barely turned heads, except for the one mom with her young triplets in a triple stroller. I'm sure she still endured her fair share of comments.
Now, of course, my daughters want to know why they can't see their new triplet friends every day. I guess I need to start arranging some play dates!

My Annual Summer Rant

2011-06-22T07:59:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year... time for me to complain about the inattentive parents at the pool. I just don't get it. My daughters have "graduated" to the big pool. I stay near the edge if I'm not in with them. I want to be able to get to them as fast as I can if there's a problem. The biggest problem, though, is the kids whose parents aren't watching them. This is a neighborhood pool, not a city pool. There is no lifeguard on duty.
One day, a little boy kept jumping in the pool... practically on top of my girls. Where was his mom? On the other side of the pool, sitting in a chair texting away. I finally told my girls to move and asked him to please be careful so he didn't land on anyone. The mom kind of glanced my way and then went back to texting.
A few weeks ago some kids were using a raft in the pool. They kept steering the raft near the steps where my girls and lots of little kids were playing. At one point the raft was OVER the head of one of the younger kids. For whatever reason, I'm the only parent who noticed this. I kindly, but firmly, suggested they keep the raft away from the steps so no one got hurt. At this point, their mom went off in a litany of Spanish. I'm not sure if she was yelling at me or them. I don't really care.
Yesterday I was at the pool and watched a mom put water wings on her two-year-old, let the little girl jump in the deep end (5 feet) and then promptly laid down on her back and sun bathed. Water wings can be a great tool to help a young child gain confidence in the water, but water wings are not a life saving device. What happens when the little girl gets tired and is stuck in the deep end with no one watching her?
I'm sure I tend to hover a bit too much at the pool. I have four kids to pay attention to, while most parents are there with one or maybe two kids. But I would rather hover and prevent a tragedy than put my child at risk.
And so, I have finished my annual rant about the inattentive parents at the pool. I will try not to bring this up again this summer!

We are Obsessed with Gnomes

2011-06-21T09:11:00.000-06:00

The day we returned from our first camping trip with the girls, none of us wanted to do anything other than sit on the couch. We were exhausted! (And FINALLY clean. There was little vegetation at the campground, so there was dirt everywhere). Once we had all showered and the washing machine was started, we called our neighbor and asked if we could borrow Gnomeo & Juliet. (We were on the wait list at the library, but it was taking too long to climb to the top of the list). Since then, there has been a gnome obsession in my house.
We watched the movie twice before returning it to the neighbor. Right now my daughters are in the play room and pretending to dress up like gnomes. They're also singing "Gnomeo, gnomeo...." (If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about).
The neighbor who lent us the movie has garden gnomes galore in the backyard. Now? My daughters want gnomes! They asked the neighbor what color hats his gnomes have. Unfortunately, we won't be able to create a red/blue rivalry because his gnomes have various colored hats. My daughters want to know when we're going to go buy a gnome. I don't know... garden gnomes have always been something I've avoided. I think they're kind of creepy looking. Plus, we don't have a garden, yet. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.

The Green-haired Monster

2011-06-16T10:08:00.000-06:00

One of my big "summer concerns" is that my daughters will end up with green hair from all the swimming they do. Their hair is light and we spend a lot of time in the pool. I'm not convinced the people who are responsible for putting the chemicals in the pool know what they're doing. My eyes always sting when I'm in the water. Any white parts of our bathing suits turn a dull yellow. I'm pretty sure green hair is next on the list.
I've been using Suave's Swim and Sport shampoo. It claims to get out the chlorine. So far, no green hair. Earlier this week we ran out of the shampoo. No big deal. When Hubby went to Sam's Club I had him buy a multi-pack of Suave kid's shampoo, the same multi-pack that contained the Swim and Sport shampoo last summer. It's not included this summer. I went to Target. There was an empty spot on the shelf where the shampoo should have been. I even looked for the L'Oreal Kid's version and couldn't find it. I went to Walmart. No Suave Swim and Sport. I just happened to walk past the baby section and found the L'Oreal Kid's version. I bought two bottles!
If you know of a better way to get chlorine out of hair, let me know!

When Tantrums Backfire

2011-06-15T09:34:00.000-06:00

Yesterday started like any other day. We went through our morning routine and then decided to go to the pool. The neighborhood pool is more enjoyable before lunch, since most people wait until the afternoon to go for a swim. We started getting ready. All the girls put on bikinis. Unfortunately, Sue Sue's bikini was too big in the bottoms. I knew if she wore it, she would constantly lose her bottoms in the pool. So I told her to find a different suit. You would have thought I told her she had to give up her a coveted toy.
She began screaming at the top of her lungs. Actually, it was more like screeching. First I tried reasoning with her. Then I tried ignoring her. Then I tried to simply put her in a bathing suit. She tried to take it off. Then I told the girls we weren't going swimming. This resulted in tears from everyone. I quickly realized it wasn't fair to punish the other three for one sister's poor choices.
In the end, I forced Sue Sue into clothes and told her she would be joining us at the pool... from the sidelines. I was a little concerned she would throw a new tantrum at the pool. She whined a bit as she sat in her chair. She constantly told me "it's not fair." I pointed out that it wouldn't be fair to make her sisters stay home just because she was naughty. Eventually she apologized and was quite disappointed that I wouldn't even let her put her feet in the water.
All in all, I think she realized tantrums won't get her anywhere. She is currently upstairs putting on a bathing suit to go swimming today and I haven't heard a single argument.

Our First Camping Trip

2011-06-13T09:30:00.000-06:00

Given the choice between sleeping in a tent or a five-star hotel, I'm picking luxury every time. Still, I know how to rough it and I'm not opposed to camping. My daughters have been asking to go camping for the past few summers. This year I decided to sign up for my moms of multiples group camping trip.
Overall, we had a great time. Especially since we slept in our "vacation lodge." I find it quite humorous that any tent would have the word "lodge" in it.

We were the first to arrive, so we ended up with a campsite with a breathtaking view of the nearby lake and mountains. We spent all day Saturday exploring the area, throwing rocks into the lake and just enjoying nature.

(Not bad for a picture taken with the camera propped on a rock).

There were only a few drawbacks. For our first trip, this was a tad too primitive. There was no running water and the bathroom was basically a hole in the ground. One of my girls was terrified she would fall in the hole... can you blame her? We were all glad to be away from "the stinky potty" when we came home. Plus, while it was nice during the day (70's) it was literally freezing at night. In fact, the first night it may have been below freezing. The girls did great. Sue Sue burrowed into her sleeping bag each night and woke up nice and warm. They each slept in lined pants, a shirt, a jacket and a hat and seemed fine. Hubby and I had trouble sleeping but the girls woke up well rested each morning.

All in all, there were 8 families for a total of 25 kids (all triplets, except our family). The girls had a blast making new friends and visiting everyone's campsite and eating s'mores every night.

Here we are, six loads of laundry later (only 4 or 5 more left), exhausted and happy. My girls want to know if we can go camping next weekend, too!

Just Call Me Granny

2011-06-09T08:20:00.000-06:00

I was shopping with the girls yesterday when a woman approached me. "Oh, are they quadruplets?" "Yes," I answered. Her next question floored me: "So are you the grandma or the mom?" Um, say what now?
I'm 36. I don't really care if you know my age. Some days I feel 36, most days I'm surprised it has been so long since I graduated college. I don't have a gray hair on my head. (Some of this could be due to the fact that my hair is highlighted, which could hide any potential gray). Sure, I'm starting to get laugh lines, crow's feet, the typical signs of aging that happen as one approaches 40... but grandma? Whatever.
At least I have my girls to give me an ego boost. The past few summers I've known that I need to wear a hat out in the sun. The ones I've found tend be too "working in the garden" or way too expensive or both. But the other day I found one on clearance at Old Navy ($5.... my kind of price). I tried it on and all four girls oohed and ahhhed. "Mom," one of the exclaimed, "You look soooooo stylish." All the way to the car they talked about how "cute" I looked, how much they liked my hat and how they couldn't wait for me to wear it to the pool. When my girls receive new clothes they like to model them in a fashion show of sorts. As soon as we arrived home from Old Navy, they begged me to have a fashion show to show off my hat. I guess that makes up for rude people who call me granny!

A Glimpse at My Teenage Daughters

2011-06-08T09:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we spent a long afternoon at the pool. Hubby even got off work early and had time to join us. Once he arrived, he took the girls one by one to the deep end so they could jump in and practice swimming to him. Tortilla wanted turn after turn after turn.
Once we were back at the house, everyone changed and I passed out popsicles. When she was finished, Tortilla wanted the TV on. I refused. I suggested she find a book or build something with Megablocks. She started crying. Then, right when I was ready to tell her to stop crying she looked at me and said "If you're not going to turn on the TV, I'm going to go cry in my room." Fine by me!
She stomped up the steps. About five minutes passed and I needed to take laundry upstairs. Tortilla was sound asleep in her bed. All that swimming wore her out.
Once Tortilla came downstairs, she was all smiles and in a much better mood. Hubby said "So, were you really mad at Mommy for not turning on the TV, or was that just your excuse to go upstairs and take a nap?" A sly smile crossed her face. I'm in big trouble in about ten more years!

It's Always Something

2011-06-07T09:28:00.001-06:00

Hubby and I tend to say the only luck we have is bad luck. Whenever we feel like we've taken two steps forward, we suddenly have to take about 10 steps back.
Hubby has been able to work overtime lately. This, we thought would give us some "breathing room." Unfortunately, my hours keep getting cut at work (7 1/2 hours next week? Whatever), so his overtime is now compensating for my lack of hours.
We had a company come out about a month ago to start our sprinkler system. We knew we needed some minor repairs, but the project kept getting bigger and bigger. We finally just stopped making follow up appointments. The system works. The grass is green. We know there are still some things with it that need fixed, but they're not the priority right now.
Why? Because one of the gutters is detaching from the house and a bird has made its home there. Someone is coming out to look at it today, but I really don't want to know the estimate.
Remember the tree that wasn't budding? Yeah, it's dead. Due to HOA covenants we have to have it dug out and replant a new one.
Oh, and don't get me started on Hubby's Jeep. The engine light came on. We had the spark plugs replaced and declined the rest of the work as it's not as critical. It blows me away the spark plugs cost $30.... and the LABOR was $260.
It's always something.

A Fruitful Summer

2011-06-06T09:38:00.000-06:00

Summer is my favorite time of year. I like the heat (for the most part) and I love the sunshine. Plus, I always look forward to eating fresh fruit. Cold fruit is the perfect snack after an outing to the pool.
This year, my daughters are actually putting in requests for which fruit they want me to buy. I typically buy strawberries, blueberries, grapes and bananas. Lately, they've also been asking for raspberries, blackberries and mango. While I don't care for tomatoes, I've been buying grape tomatoes because two of my girls really like them.
My girls are really into talking about how "colorful" their plates are when they're filled with fruits and vegetables. It's a fun way for me to explain (in simple terms) health and nutrition. They're starting to understand that the more colors you have on your plate, the healthier your meal is.
Still, if anyone has tips for storing raspberries, send them my way. Keeping them in the plastic containers they come in seems to result in mold within a day or two.

A Not So Fun Milestone

2011-06-01T10:36:00.001-06:00

I consider myself a good swimmer. I passed every level of swim lesson offered at my local pool and even had my life guard certification at one point. I'm thrilled that my girls love the water. I'm not so thrilled that they have graduated from the "little pool."
It was bound to happen. Last year they were the only kids their age who spent the majority of their pool time in the little pool. I would take them into the big pool for a few minutes, but the water went over their heads when they stood in the shallow end, so we only spent 15 minutes at a time there if I took them by myself. It's not a lot of fun in the big pool when four little ones are clinging to you. Last year they started swim lessons, so at least they had confidence in the water. While I think water wings are great, I just couldn't bring myself to use them. I had visions of my girls being too confident and having all four of them go in different directions. I tried swim vests, but the ones I bought never fit right.
Anyway, that brings us to this year. Our pool opened Saturday. We finally made it there yesterday. I knew there was no way I could justify letting four 5-year-olds play in the little pool. They want to splash, swim under water and have more fun than you can in the little pool. Our pool has huge concrete steps going into the shallow end. This worked out because I made them stay close to the steps and I was able to be close enough to grab them if needed. Fortunately, this year the water in the shallow end only comes up to their chest. It took them a few minutes to realize they could stand up and their heads wouldn't be under water. It took them even longer to remember you should only breathe out (and not in) when you go underwater.
It's a "not so fun milestone" because graduating to the big pool takes away some of my sense of security. The pool is always a fun way to burn off energy, but the big pool adds a whole new level of stress.
Also, thank you to everyone who voted for Buried in Laundry for the Top 25 Parents with Multiples List by Circle of Moms. Buried in Laundry is on the list. I'll let you know when it's the featured blog. Thank you again for all your support!!!!

You Bowl Me Over

2011-05-31T08:49:00.000-06:00

Every time I think about bowling, I start singing "Score Tonight" from Grease 2. Call it a cheesy movie, heck, even a terrible movie, but I loved it. So last week, I was on singing overdrive because the girls and I went bowling.
I signed up for a work-related bowling function and let the girls tag along. It turned out they were allowed to bowl with the group, too, much to their delight. All I can say is thank goodness for "bumpers." They would have bowled endless gutter balls without them. The lightest ball I could find for them was still somewhat heavy, so most of their bowling consisted of "granny rolls" through their legs. By the end, though, Tortilla was running toward the line and launching the ball. I could embarrass myself by saying Tortilla's score for her second game tied my score for my first game. Instead, I have been saying "Wow! She bowled such a great game that she tied my score!"
It's not easy to be outbowled by a five-year-old. The score monitor tells you how fast the balls are going. Most of the time, my girls got their bowling balls to go about two to three miles an hour!
I didn't take pictures. I wanted to, but I was too busy chasing stray bowling balls that the girls would occasionally drop... or helping them with their "form" to speed up the process.
We definitely had a lot of fun. They were so excited to tell Hubby all about their adventure. Unfortunately, it's a fairly expensive form of entertainment, once you factor in lane fees and shoe rental fees. I found some local alleys that offer "free" bowling for kids during the summer, but you still have to pay for shoe rental, which would end up costing us about $25 each time. Still, I think this could be a fun "treat" for the girls every now and then.

Pardon My Rant

2011-05-25T10:37:00.000-06:00

I am so tired of rain! In the last two weeks I think we have had two days of sunshine. Two. TWO!!! Yes, we need rain. Our sprinkler system has been on the fritz and finally was fully repaired on Saturday. This rain helped us avoid an HOA fine for yellow grass. I appreciate the rain, but I need some sun! We're all cranky. We're all experiencing cabin fever. The second I spot the sun, I force my girls to go outside. The other day, I could tell rain was moving in, so I made them go outside for an hour. They came in about 10 minutes before the storm started. I know it's not technically summer, but it's only 47 here today. I need sun. I need warm weather!!!
(Thank you to those of you who continue to vote for Buried in Laundry to be included in the Top 25 Parents With Multiples List by Circle of Moms. You can vote once every 24 hours through May 30!)

More Fun with Milk Jugs

2011-05-23T08:53:00.000-06:00

Ever since Hubby's milk jug game was a hit, we've been saving up jugs. I wanted to do our own version of Bozo's Grand Prize Game. (Did I date myself by admitting I know what that is?!) Unfortunately, I forgot to tell Hubby my plans. Yesterday I ran a few errands and came home to this:

Whatever keeps them entertained!
(Thank you to those of you who have been voting for Buried in Laundry to be on the Top 25 Parents with Multiples List by Circle of Moms. You can continue to vote once every 24 hours through May 30).

I Guess I'm Just a Mean Mom

2011-05-20T13:40:00.000-06:00

In the last ten days we have had very little sunshine. We have had lots of rain, along with some hail and tornado warnings. It has been chilly and overcast. We have been cooped up in the house.
Today there is finally a break. The temperatures are mild, though nowhere near as warm as they should be for May. The sun is making a debut. The grass and our swing set is wet, but I told my girls to put on their shoes and a jacket because they need to go outside for some fresh air. One of my daughters dissolved in tears. She did not want to go outside. Too bad. I told her she had to stay outside for at least 10 minutes. It has been 20 and she shows no signs of wanting to come in! Yep. I'm a big meanie.
(Don't forget to keep voting for Buried in Laundry for the Top 25 Parents with Multiples List by Circle of Moms. You can vote once every 24 hours. Thanks for your support!)

Fun With Milk Jugs

2011-05-17T07:10:00.001-06:00

We go through approximately four gallons of milk a week. I try to save juice as a treat and water is for "in between meals" (which they can get for themselves from our fridge dispenser), so milk is something we drink a lot of. The jugs normally go straight to the recycling bin... until Hubby came up with a fun game.
He started saving milk jugs and told our girls it was for "a game." What's the game? Well, he wouldn't tell them until he had four empty (and clean) jugs. It didn't take them long to reach that goal.
When the time came, Hubby cut the top half off the jugs and turned them into "ball catchers."

Don't mind her outfit. It was a rainy, gloomy, I'm-not-going-out-there kind of day, so they all chose to wear gymnastics outfits. Which also explains why we tested out the game inside.
The girls initially wanted to use their Zoobles to play the game. They received these toys when then went to McDonald's with my in-laws during our recent date night. It quickly became clear that while Zoobles are round, unless you want to break them you really shouldn't treat them like a ball. Fortunately, we own "Gator Golf," so we used the balls from that game to test out our new milk jug game.
Chucking balls from milk jugs inside isn't really a good idea. We found this out when Sue Sue launched hers, but instead of going to one of her sisters to catch, it went flying backward over her head and into a wall.

(A little side note: while I try not to show my daughters' full identities in pictures, that wasn't what happened here. Call this an "action shot." I had a cute picture all framed in the lens of her smiling... and then she moved and the battery died. Oh well. You get the idea).
Hubby quickly came up with a modified version. Instead of throwing the ball, they all sat on the floor and rolled it to one another, catching it in their milk jugs. This game went on, and on, and on... Let's just say there were protests when I tried to claim two girls for a shower.
Fortunately, yesterday was a sunny day, so the girls headed outside and put the game to good use. I've already Googled other games we can make with all the milk jugs we go through!
(Thank you to those of you who have been voting for Buried in Laundry for the Top 25 Parents with Multiples List by Circle of Moms. So far I'm hanging on in the top 25! You can vote once every 24 hours through May 30. Thank you for your support!)

Hire a Sitter or Stay Home

2011-05-16T07:35:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, Hubby and I managed to get out of the house for a rare date night. For the first time in nearly two years we saw a movie in a movie theater!! I found an on-line deal and snagged our tickets for just $4.50 each (normally $10 each).
On the way into the theater, I joked that we somehow managed to pick the only R rated movie in the facility (Bridesmaids), and thus would be able to enjoy our movie without a bunch of chatty teens. As the lights dimmed and the opening scene of the movie began, a baby started crying. The baby was in the audience, not the movie. Throughout the movie, the mom or dad would either stand up and bop around the aisle with the baby or venture out into the hall. I have to admit, I was a bit annoyed. Hire a sitter or stay home. I don't buy into "Oh, my baby can sleep through anything." Have you been to a movie lately? They're loud. They're usually no less than two hours when you factor in previews. It's pretty unrealistic to expect a baby to be quiet during the entire thing. Still on the side of the parents? I bet you wouldn't feel that way if they had rolled in with twins, triplets or quadruplets. But one baby is OK, right? No.
I swear I'm not one of "those people"... the kind who roll their eyes whenever a child acts up in public. I'm a mom. I get it. Babies, kids, teens... they all have their moments. But if I'm paying to go to a movie with a rating that is designed to keep anyone under the age of 18 from being in there, I don't expect to be confronted with a crying baby. So the "poor parents" just needed to get out of the house? Suck it up. Hubby and I are lucky to get to a movie once a year because of the cost associated with hiring a sitter. Or go to a movie where the moviegoers expect to be surrounded by children. Even before having children, I knew if I went to a movie targeted toward children/families, I was bound to encounter whispering, restless kids. (I also think the program that designates "baby nights" at theaters is genius. At least you know you'll be surrounded by babies on those nights).
Don't get me started on the concept of an R movie. Bridesmaids is filled with hilariously raunchy, bawdy comedy. While the infant in question had no concept of the comedy involved, I just wonder how many f-bombs registered in his/her ears. Speaking of inappropriate scenes, it didn't help that there were at least two kids in the audience. They were there with their parents and appeared to be about 12 and 7. Their parents sat on the opposite side of the theater and the kids sat in our row. The oldest one repeatedly put his feet on the seat next to them, then put his feet down and let the seat slam, jarring the entire aisle. Plus he and his brother constantly got up for bathroom breaks or to just wander around. Yes, that can happen in any movie, but I'm still wondering why the parents let those kids watch such an inappropriate movie for children. You can argue that an R rating simply means anyone underage must be accompanied by a parent. Ratings exist for a reason. If you want to take the whole family to a movie, opt for something more family-friendly. There were plenty of those choices on Saturday.
Let me reiterate, I'm not the type of person who typically gets annoyed with children misbehaving or even just acting like kid out in public. After the movie we stopped for dinner at a family restaurant. There were lots of kids there being loud. It didn't phase me. If I wanted peace and quiet, I would have gone to an "upscale" restaurant. I don't expect a quiet meal at a family restaurant, but I do expect age-appropriate movie goers in an R rated movie.
****On a lighter note, thank you to those of you who have been voting for Buried in Laundry to be included in the Top 25 Parents with Multiples List by Circle of Moms. Please continue to vote once every 24 hours through May 30. Thank you!!

What Will We Do With Ourselves?!

2011-05-11T09:51:00.000-06:00

Not counting today, there are just three, yes three days left of preschool! My daughters are excited because this means they will soon be kindergarteners. They seem to think the minute preschool is over, they will head to the "big building" for kindergarten. If only it were that simple.
I never realize how much I appreciate the downtime provided by school, until my daughters are on a break. I enjoy spending time with them, but things get a lot more hectic when they're not in school. For instance, beginning in June Sue Sue will resume her weekly physical therapy sessions. She was discharged from year 'round therapy, but we like to find areas to focus on during the summer to build her muscle strength. This means on Mondays we'll spend the morning getting all of us there by 10 am, (I'm guessing this means I will not shower before the sessions), keeping the other three entertained during the session, rush home for lunch and then spend the afternoon trying to get in the mindset to go to work. I'm also working to resume our swim lessons with our fantastically wonderful swim instructor. (All winter long my daughters wanted to know why they couldn't go swimming. Ummm... because our neighborhood pool is outside?!)
We have a membership to our local zoo. This comes in handy when we're looking for something to do, but don't have any creative ideas. The zoo is fairly close, so we can go and stay as long or as little as we like. I also found a great deal on a membership to our local butterfly pavilion ($24!! It's normally $65. We saved money on our very first visit since admission without a membership is more than $24 for the six of us). I'm hoping we can swing over there on rainy days.
We live near two local libraries. The one closest to us is less than a year old. It's beautiful. Unfortunately, the free classes for kids fill up fast. The other library is older and has a smaller selection of kid's books, but the classes are easier to get into. (It still seems strange to me that you have to register for story time. What happened to just showing up and joining in the fun?)
We are fortunate to live near numerous subdivisions, all with their own playgrounds. We rotate through the parks so we don't become "bored." (That's their favorite word right now).
I'm actually looking forward to the summer. Yes, we will be busy, but hopefully we'll embark on some great adventures.
**Don't forget, Buried in Laundry is nominated to be on the Top 25 Parents with Multiples List by Circle of Moms. You can vote once every 24 hours through May 30. Please take a moment to visit the list of nominees and vote for Buried in Laundry. Thanks!

The Problem With Shorts

2011-05-10T10:43:00.001-06:00

The last few days have been nice and warm here. We're breaking out the summer clothes and I'm thankful there are only a few days before the end of school. (Side note: we start mid-August and get out in mid-May). Why am I glad school is almost over? Because apparently shorts for 5-year-olds might as well be Daisy Dukes.
I ended up convincing my daughters that it was chilly this morning and that they had to wear pants to school. Why? Because I couldn't find any shorts I deemed "school-appropriate." It's not that my daughters have a suggestive or inappropriate wardrobe. It's just that when you factor in dress codes, I just don't know if their shorts will make the grade. I don't even know if the administration would send home preschoolers for having "short shorts." I decided not to risk it. Their shorts are cute, but most likely too far above the knee to be considered something they should wear to school.
Take a look at your local retail store. From the "girl" section to the "junior department," most of the shorts are pretty short. While working at my retail job recently, I had a dad ask me "So where are the shorts that I can buy for my daughter?" I think we finally found some bermudas.
Four days left of school. I think I can find enough in their closets to get by. Fortunately, tomorrow is "Pajama Day" at school, so I don't have to worry about shorts!
****Buried in Laundry has been nominated for the Top 25 Parents with Multiples list by Circle of Moms. Please click the Circle of Moms badge on the left side of this page to vote for Buried in Laundry. THANKS!

Our Mother's Day Projects

2011-05-09T10:11:00.000-06:00

Mother's Day was a gorgeous, if not sweltering hot, day here, so we took advantage of the weather to do some yard work. It was actually a lot of fun. One of our hedges in front of the house died, so the six of us went to a local nursery to find a replacement. It took Hubby a long time to dig up the dead one, but this was the final result (We ended up putting in three hedges. The one on the left has been here since we moved in)

Ignore the dead grass near the rocks. We had a ruptured line in our sprinkler system, which was fixed on Saturday. Now the company has to come back this afternoon to complete the sprinkler activation.
While Hubby battled the bushes, the girls and I worked on planting flowers.

I let each of them chose flowers at Home Depot and they were quite particular about where the flowers should be placed in the planter. (Note to everyone: Home Depot is NOT the place you want to be on Mother's Day if you don't like crowds. I had no idea how many moms con their families into doing yard work by pulling the "Mother's Day card"). Despite the crowd, I think we're going to make this a Mother's Day tradition. It was a lot of fun watching my girls choose their flowers. They are quite proud of their work and made me water the flowers before school this morning. Nothing like adding more work to the morning routine.
By the end of the day yesterday, we were all covered in sunscreen, dirt, sweat and popsicles. I think I threw the girls in the shower around 4pm just to help them cool down.
All in all, it was a great day. Unfortunately, in the middle of all the yard work, we discovered this:

Don't let the green in this picture fool you. That's from our blooming, still-alive tree. The empty branches are from our other tree, which apparently died. Seriously?! Removing a hedge is one thing. A tree? I've been making calls to figure out who will remove this tree without charging me way too much. As part of our HOA covenants, that particular tree has to be replaced. Our yard work is never done!

I Definitely Have Girls

2011-05-04T10:15:00.001-06:00

While my daughters aren't always pink-loving, doll-playing, princess worshiping girls (who am I kidding? They love those things!), they are certainly girls to the core. I used to be able to buy them shorts in the boy's department. Why would I do that? Because for whatever reason, denim boy shorts tend to be cheaper than denim girl shorts. Unfortunately, last summer there were two pairs of shorts my girls refused to wear because they looked like "boy shorts." OK, they were boy shorts, but to me they simply looked like cute denim shorts.
My stepmom used to be able to buy second-hand shoes for any gender and my girls would wear them. (Yes, I've heard that you shouldn't wear second-hand shoes, but toddler shoes are usually in pristine condition, and until you have to find footwear for four kids and not break the bank, you can't judge). Sometime last year, my daughters refused to wear any dark colored shoe. I truly think I could have bought them dark blue shoes from the girl's department and they still would have refused. In their mind, shoes need to be pink and/or light up. Any dark shoes must have a character on them. The good news is since they wouldn't wear the boy tennis shoes, I managed to sell them all at the last sale for my moms of multiples club.
I used to be able to send my daughters to school in jeans that had holes in the knees. There are just two weeks left of school. I'm not buying new jeans until the new school year starts. Some of their jeans have acquired holes in the knees. This leads to tears, yes, tears from the sister chosen to wear the "holey" jeans. (I tried to avoid the tears this morning, by letting one of them wear leggings instead. That was a whole new ball of drama. Instead of one crier, I had three... the ones not wearing leggings). When my daughters are teens and expect me to throw down $55 (or more) for pre-ripped jeans, I will remind them of their aversion to holey jeans in their youth.
Yes, my daughters are only 5 and they already have a clear sense of what is fashionable and what is not. I really have my work cut out for me in the years to come!

Rethinking the News

2011-05-03T09:45:00.000-06:00

As a former TV news anchor (I still think of myself as a journalist, even though I'm not currently working in that industry), I am something of a news junkie. I check the local news websites daily and try to catch some of the local or national news each day. I've come to realize in the last few weeks how difficult it is to watch the news when impressionable children are around.
I'm not going to write a post about how "bad" the news is. Bad things happen in the world and they need to be reported. As a former reporter, I can tell you we would much rather be assigned the fun, uplifting stories. Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen.
I used to constantly flip through various local channels. I enjoy seeing how different stations cover the same stories. It's the reporter in me. I want to critique their coverage, see who "owned" the story. I used to hit the "previous channel" button and go back and forth between two stations. Now when I hit the "previous channel" button, I'm frantically trying to go to Sprout or some other channel that won't have my daughters asking too many questions.
It all started with the recent tornadoes. Hubby and I were watching the news and seeing the devastation. One of the girls asked Hubby a question about tornadoes. I can't remember the exact question, but it led us to explain the tornado sirens in our neighborhood and why we sometimes go to the basement. The next day was a gloomy, overcast day. Tortilla wanted to know if we should go to the basement to hide from the tornadoes. I tried to explain that tornadoes are rare in this area (sort of) and that mommy and daddy will always watch for bad weather. I can't imagine what it must have been like for her, at age 5, to sit there watching the news and see all the homes that were destroyed. Clearly it stuck with her.
The past few days, I've made it a point to not watch the news when my girls are in the room. I'm not ready to explain Osama Bin Laden or Sept. 11 to them. Yes, it's something they need to know about. They've seen coverage of 9/11 memorials and I've talked about how a "very sad thing" happened that day. I just don't know if 5-year-olds are ready for the entire story. Maybe I'm wrong.
Still, the news has provided us some levity in the last week. My daughters delighted in seeing "the princess get married." During the kisses, though, all four of them squealed "ewwwwww!"
I'm still a news junkie, just not as addicted as I once was. For now, I'll have to monitor what I watch until my daughters are old enough to handle some of the hard truths about the world.

Extreme Couponing

2011-05-02T07:54:00.000-06:00

Have you watched Extreme Couponing on TLC, yet? It airs on a night I typically work and isn't available On Demand, so it took me awhile to catch an episode. I am always looking for ways to save money at the grocery store. Unfortunately, this show doesn't have the tips I thought it would.
Some of the "couponers" have very meticulous systems. One woman said she spends at least 20 hours a week on her coupons. If only I had that kind of time. The thing that really bothered me about the show is that even if you have that kind of time to devote to clipping and sorting coupons, checking them against ads, etc., you're still probably not going to walk away with $400 worth of groceries for $10. Why? Well, I don't know about the grocery stores you frequent, but the stores I go to don't have the same policies as the stores these "extreme couponers" use. Most stores, at least the ones I go to, won't let you use more than one of the same coupon, no matter how many of the same item you're buying. The one store I frequent will let you use up to three of the same coupon (as long as you're buying three of that item), but not the 10+ the people on the show are getting away with. Am I going to the wrong stores, or are these shoppers being allowed to this because they're being followed by TV cameras?
For now, I'm not going to be able to be an extreme couponer. I'll just have to stick to my shopper's card deals and on-line and newspaper clipped coupons... and whatever tips you feel like providing in the comments!

The Winner Is...

2011-04-28T09:32:00.002-06:00

The winner of the In Stitches giveaway is:

Mandy E

Congratulations!

Already Saving for Christmas

2011-04-27T10:17:00.001-06:00

My daughters' birthdays are in September. For me, that's too close to Christmas to not save/shop year 'round. This has proven much more difficult now that they're developing their own tastes. When they were younger I could buy whatever I wanted and know they would be happy. Now they're requesting things, and their idea of what's "cool" changes on a regular basis. The coveted item at the top of their list today could be at the bottom by Christmas.
Fortunately, I've found a relatively easy way to save, so I can wait to shop: Swag Bucks. If you aren't already doing this, you should check it out. Basically, the site lets you earn "digital dollars" to trade in for whatever you want. In my case, I trade them in for $5 Amazon.com gift cards. You can redeem your Swag Bucks (SBs) for up to 5 of the same items a month. You earn SBs by searching the web, taking surveys, completing tasks and special offers, and a multitude of other ways. I've been doing this for two months and have so far redeemed my SBs for $45 worth of Amazon.com gift cards. The gift cards never expire, so you can just transfer them to your existing Amazon account and use them when you're ready.
This isn't an all or nothing type of deal. Your SBs don't expire, so you can use the site as often or as little as you like. Here are some things I've learned:

Install the Swag Bucks tool bar. You'll receive 1 SB every day just for having the tool bar. Plus, it makes searching that much easier.
Do the "Daily Poll." Every day Swag Bucks has a Daily Poll on its site. You earn 1 SB every day that you do the poll.
Complete the "NOSO" option every day. This stands for "No Obligation Special Offers." You'll be shown a series of offers to either sign up for or skip. I skip every offer (you don't enter any personal information when you skip the offers) and earn 2 SBs every day.
Visit the "Trusted Surveys" section each day. You'll receive 1 SB each day you visit.

(By doing all of the above, you'll guarantee yourself 5 SBs a day. It's not the hundreds a day some "Swaggers" are pulling in, but it's a start)

Spread out your searches. I typically earn SBs two to three times a day through Internet searches (I've won as little as 7 SBs and as much as 37 SBs... you can win up to 100 SBs at a time). I search once in the morning, mid-afternoon and early/late evening.
Check for "Swagcodes" between 1 pm EST and 4 pm ESAT. Swagcodes are strange looking words (for example: Th3sISaCoDe) hidden in the Swag Bucks blog, on the Swag Bucks Facebook page or on the Swag Bucks Twitter page. You'll earn a specified amount of SBs for finding the code. I personally don't stress out about the codes. The times I've posted above aren't always the times the codes are released, but generally I seem to have luck most days if I look for a code during that time. (There's a "swidget" you can download, so you just click it to find out if there's an active code).

I will caution there are various "special offers" you can complete that will cost you money. That's not my thing. I'm doing it to save money, not to spend money. However, if you buy deals through Groupon, sometimes you can buy those through the Swag Bucks site, so you get your deal plus earn SBs.
It sounds like a lot of work. It's not. You'll find on the Facebook page there are some people with nothing better to do than "swag" all day. I take some time to do it while my daughters are in school (there are some "tasks" that take literally 10 minutes and earn you 12-36 SBs), but that's about it. I'm not going to spend all day on the computer, but if that's what you want to do, go for it.
If you're interested in checking it out, please click here. Yes, this is my referral page, so if you look around the site and want to sign up, please come back to the link so I'll get some referral bucks. Or not. Really it's up to you. Either way, I'm still feeling good about the effort I've made to save up for birthdays and Christmas.
(Disclosure: Swag Bucks did not ask me to write this post, nor am I receiving any compensation for it. I just thought you would like to know about the site)
PS- Time is running out to enter my In Stitches giveaway.

Egg Salad Anyone?

2011-04-26T07:58:00.001-06:00

Every Easter it's the same dilemma. What do you do with all these hard boiled eggs? Last year I think I only boiled a dozen eggs (three eggs each). This year, Hubby insisted on boiling two dozen (six eggs each). We had a great time decorating eggs on Saturday. The girls were slightly impatient and didn't want to leave their eggs in the dye for very long. Once they saw an egg that Hubby left in for awhile and how vibrant it was, they started leaving their eggs in longer.

The girls aren't big egg eaters. So far we've all had a few salads with cut up egg on them. I'm pretty sure I'll be making egg salad either today or tomorrow.
I was asked to bring dessert to my in-laws for Easter. I let the girls pick what I should make. This is what they chose:

The picture on the Betty Crocker website looks more professional than our end result, but we still had fun. The girls and I enjoy watching shows such as Ultimate Cake-off, so they kept pretending we were on the show. The cake on the left had some "issues." Part of the bottom stuck to the pan, which made it nearly impossible to put on the icing (you cut one cake round in half, ice the bottoms and stick them together to form the body). Hubby stuffed the hind end with marshmallows, which actually made the cake salvageable. The girls named that cake "Fluffy Bum Bum." Guess which piece they all wanted when it was time to eat it? Yep. The area stuffed with marshmallows.
So now we have too many eggs and too much cake. At least we had fun in the process!
Don't forget, there's still time to enter my In Stitches giveaway.

Giveaway: In Stitches, A Memoir

2011-04-25T08:48:00.001-06:00

I am a self-proclaimed bookworm. While it is easy for me to veg out on the couch at night in front of the TV, I would much rather read a book. When my daughters were born, reading had to be put aside. Now that they're older, I try to read more often. I'm always looking for a good book and I was excited to be asked to review and host a giveaway for In Stitches: A Memoir by Anthony Youn, MD with Alan Eistenstock.
I have to confess, I am a huge fan of Nip/Tuck, so I was expecting all sorts of juicy stories about bizarre plastic surgery cases. Instead, what I found was an intriguing and often touching recounting of Youn's journey to become a doctor.
Youn, who makes frequent appearances on The Rachael Ray Show and The CBS Early Show, has a wonderful outlook on life... and himself. He's not afraid to describe himself as a nerd or recount the seemingly endless number of women who turn him down. While many parts made me laugh, there were a few parts of this book that made me tear up.
From birth, Youn knew he would be a doctor. The day his parents bring him home from the hospital his father says he will be a doctor... and that's the end of the discussion. Youn has moments when he questions whether this is what he really wants to do. The incident that confirms his passion to become a doctor, specifically a plastic surgeon, is one that will likely stick with you long after you're done with this book.
Sneak Attack Media is offering one lucky Buried in Laundry reader a copy of In Stitches. (FYI: The book will be released to the public tomorrow, April 26).
To enter this giveaway (THIS STEP IS MANDATORY. NO OTHER ENTRIES WILL COUNT IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THIS STEP) *Please leave your email address in your comment or make sure it's visible in your profile

Leave me a comment telling me what you're currently reading (like I said, I'm always looking for a good book)

For additional entries (leave a separate comment for each entry)

Become a follower of Buried in Laundry or leave a comment telling me you already follow
Tweet about this giveaway and include @Quadmamablog and @TonyYounMD in your tweet
"Like" the In Stitches page on Facebook (if you use an alias to blog, send me an email at momofquads@gmail.com and tell me your real name so I can confirm you "liked" the page)

The deadline to enter this giveaway is Thursday April 28, 2011 at 9am MST. This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada addresses only. The winner will have 48 hours after notification to provide me with a mailing address or a new winner will be chosen. I reserve the right to remove any comment/entries at my discretion (mainly because I always have a few spammers or someone who doesn't complete the mandatory entry).
(Disclosure: Sneak Attack Media provided me with a complimentary copy of In Stitches to review and will be providing the winner's copy. I received no monetary compensation for this post and the opinions in this post are strictly my own).

It's About Time

2011-04-19T10:30:00.000-06:00

We have lived in this house for nearly four years. We haven't done much work on it. In all honesty, it doesn't need that much work (thank goodness), but the bachelor who lived here before us had horrible taste... at least when it came to choosing paint.
I call our TV room "the cat puke colored room." If you've ever seen a hairball, then you can visualize what color the walls are. For whatever reason, he thought that color transitioned nicely to burnt orange, which is the color of the dining/kitchen area. (The kitchen and TV room are essentially one big open space). The downstairs bathroom and the girls' bathroom upstairs are also a lovely shade of cat puke. The rest of the downstairs is white, mainly because there's no logical break in the walls to paint the rest of the downstairs, unless you want the entire upstairs to be that color, too.
Speaking of the upstairs, we did have to paint the girls' original bedroom before we moved in. I'm hoping the bachelor used it for a study because it was that trendy red everyone is gaga over. Good for a study, not so good for a bedroom for four little girls. We painted it lavender. Let me tell you, covering up red is no easy task.
Our bedroom is somewhat neutral, browns and grays. Unfortunately, the paint job is so bad that I'm not sure we could ever cover it up if we wanted to. There's paint splattered on the ceiling, spots where you can see through to the white. I just really wish I could have been here to see who did the actual painting.
This all leads us to the master bathroom. To me, a bathroom is a sanctuary. A place to relax in a scalding hot bath and get away from the worries of the day. I won't go into the fact that this bathroom has a regular-sized tub. (Someday I WILL live in a house with a luxurious garden tub). But how the heck are you supposed to relax in a forest green bathroom? There's no light! It's not bright. It's dark and depressing.
Since Hubby is tired of listening to me complain about all the icky-colored rooms in our house, he has finally agreed to paint the bathroom. (It may have helped that I had one of the girls hand him a paint sample and say "This is what we should give Mommy for Mother's Day). In just a few weeks (we need to find the time to actually do this), I will have a nice neutral colored bathroom. A bright, cheery place to relax, on the rare occasion that I find time to relax in a hot bath. It's about time!

This Has Been Bugging Me

2011-04-18T07:48:00.000-06:00

About two weeks ago, I chaperoned my daughters' preschool field trip. It was fun and exhausting. My group included my four girls and two other students. Somehow I ended up being the only chaperone who did not have help from another parent or teacher. (One group had six kids and four parents!) Oh well, the seven of us did our own thing and had a lot of fun.
Of course, with six preschoolers there are bound to be plenty of trips to the bathroom. Not a big deal. The girls in my group needed some help reaching the sink to wash their hands, but could do everything else on their own.
As the entire class waited for the bus, a few of the girls in my group needed one last trip to the bathroom. The teacher's aide asked if I would mind taking another girl from the afternoon class. I didn't have a problem with this, until we were headed to the bathroom and another mom mentioned that this girl needed "help" in the bathroom. I felt a little uncomfortable because a) it's not my child and b) I'm not the teacher or her parent. But I figured if you have to go, you have to go, so all the girls did their business, I helped the other girl and we were done.
So what's bugging me? When we went back outside, I found out the girl's dad was on the field trip. Why in the world did he not take her to the bathroom himself? Why would he let a complete stranger help his daughter in the bathroom? (This facility has several unisex/family bathrooms, so the issue of using the men's room wasn't a factor). Am I wrong to be a little miffed? I had no problem helping this girl, but what is he teaching his daughter? There have to be boundaries, especially with strangers. I'm a mom. I had 0% bad intentions, but how does he know that?! I'm not even blaming the teacher's aide in this situation. The teacher hadn't arrived with her group, so the teacher's aide was trying to keep track of all the kids and chaperones who had arrived. She knows me. I have four girls. Of course she had no problem sending this child with me. But the dad? I'm just not sure why he didn't take care of it himself.

The Winners Are...

2011-04-14T09:45:00.000-06:00

The winners of the Purex Complete with Zout giveaway are:

#2 Ashley
#6 Mrs. Werginz

Congratulations! Your coupon will be mailed soon. Thank you to everyone who participated. Stay tuned, because I have another fun giveaway coming up in about a week or so.

Because I Said So

2011-04-12T07:46:00.000-06:00

Apparently age 5 is the age where everything you tell a child is met with "Why?" "It's time to clean this room." "Why?" "You can't play video games right now." "Why?" "It's time to go to bed." "Why?" I'll admit it, I'm guilty of responding with "Because I said so" or "Because I'm your mother" on more than one occasion.
I've gotten to a point where I just can't keep explaining myself. One of my girls uses "why" as a delay tactic. If she doesn't want to clean, then she'll go into "why-mode." I used to explain to her in great depth why she needed to clean up. Rather than say "Because I said so," I've started responding with "Because if you make a mess, it's your job to clean it up."
I really do try to provide my daughters an answer when they have a "legitimate" question. If their "why" has more to it than that, I try my best to have a good response. "Why are the clouds so big?" "Why do we sleep when it's dark out?" Those are "whys" I can handle, although sometimes I need the Internet to help me out.
(Don't forget to check out my latest giveaway!)

Giveaway: Purex Complete with Zout

2011-04-11T07:39:00.001-06:00

Have I ever mentioned how many loads of laundry I do a week? (I'm being sarcastic. I know I have. Repeatedly). In a good week, I do 12 loads. A good week means no accidents or a cat that decides to crawl under my covers and hack up a hairball. (The latter actually happened last week!) I'm always looking for ways to make laundry day easier.
As a Purex Insider, I had the chance to try Purex Complete with Zout. It is one of the best laundry detergents I've used. It's a detergent and a pre-treater in one. I put it to the test and it does a great job of getting out most stains. After spaghetti night, it didn't get out all the pasta sauce and I had to use my trusted stain remover. Still, after one of the girls woke up with a bloody nose, I didn't need any other stain remover, so I'm impressed. Purex Complete with Zout is also a "dual compatible formula," which means, lucky for me, it can be used in top loaders or High Efficiency washing machines. Plus, Purex gave me a "free and clear" version. We're a fairly sensitive family, so I appreciate having a detergent without dyes and fragrances.
Want to try it for yourself? Purex is offering two Buried in Laundry readers a coupon for a free bottle of Purex Complete with Zout.
To enter the giveaway: (Please leave a separate comment for each entry. You must leave your email address in your comment or have an email address that's visible in your profile).

This entry is mandatory: Visit Purex.com and then leave me a comment tell me what other Purex product sounds interesting to you.

For additional entries:

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This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. You must have a valid email address to participate. The deadline to enter the giveaway is 9 am MST Thursday April 14, 2011. The two winners will be chosen by Random.org and have 48 hours after notification to provide me with a mailing address or a new winner will be chosen.
(Disclosure: Purex provided me with a complimentary bottle of Purex Complete with Zout in order to do this review. Purex will also be providing the two winners with a coupon for complimentary bottles. I received no monetary compensation for this post).

Decisions, Decisions

2011-04-07T21:00:00.000-06:00

Tonight was kindergarten round up for our school district. My girls were really excited to go and see their new classrooms. They're quite disappointed that they won't be starting kindergarten tomorrow. I had to explain that first they need to finish preschool, then they'll have summer vacation and then it will be time for kindergarten.
Now it's time for the big decision. The principal said he'll start figuring out class lists next month. So I need to figure out how I'm going to separate my girls. He's leaving it completely up to me, which is good. The girls who share bedrooms at home will not be in class with their roommates. I think it will do them all some good to be away from one another. The identicals won't be in the same class, either. I want them to be able to be seen as individuals, rather than have people constantly trying to remember who is who. (Their preschool teacher still confuses Cakes and Tortilla). So that leaves the combinations of Roo/Cakes and Sue Sue/Tortilla or Roo/Tortilla and Sue Sue/Cakes. I think I'm going to with the latter. For whatever reason, Roo and Tortilla liked the looks of one classroom and Sue Sue and Cakes liked the look of the other. It's probably not the best way to pick, but I'm not sure what other criteria to use. The teachers are both friendly, competent, etc. The curriculum in both classes is the same. I can't believe my babies are ready for kindergarten!

Too Much on My Plate

2011-04-04T07:40:00.000-06:00

This is one of those weeks when I'm just going to be happy to get through it. Spring Break is over, so we're back on the "school schedule." I volunteered to chaperone a preschool field trip. I have to go to my part-time job. I'm also doing a temporary test grading job from home. This is all on top of trying to keep up with laundry and keeping the house clean (yeah, right). I'm afraid there may not be enough hours in the day this week to accomplish it all!

Foiled By Mother Nature

2011-03-30T10:21:00.000-06:00

Last week was a beautiful week weather-wise. We rarely needed jackets and we managed to squeeze in some time outside. On Sunday we took the girls around the block on their bikes and it was quite chilly. Overnight it snowed. (Granted, the snow melted by mid-morning). Then it snowed again the next night (and melted pretty fast). Under normal circumstances I wouldn't complain. It's not unusual to have a spring blizzard here before being treated to delightful weather. Unfortunately, this week is spring break.
I had visions of spending lots of time outside this week, mainly to wear out my girls. I thought we would take walks, play on our swing set, hit a park or two. Maybe even take a trip to the zoo. It's not that it's cold here. It's in the 50's, which isn't bad for March. But the wind is crazy. It's no more than a slight breeze, but it provides quite a chill. Being outside for extended periods isn't realistic, unless you want chapped hands and chapped cheeks.
Fortunately, I found some free programs at local libraries, so at least my girls have been entertained. Yesterday they went to a "music" class. They sang songs, jumped around and burned off some energy. Plus we capped off the night with "Movie Night" (Tangled!!! What a fun movie). Tomorrow we'll be heading to a similar music class at a different library. On Friday we may head to the local butterfly pavilion. It's not the spring break I envisioned, but we're still managing to have fun!

Table for Five

2011-03-28T09:24:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I was on Facebook and noticed my local Chick-Fil-A was asking for parents to help them with a "project." I volunteered and was asked to bring my girls with me to test a "VIP Seating" program.
The concept is pretty easy, and pretty nice for parents. You order your food and pay at the drive-through, park and go inside. An employee greets you, takes you to a table and brings you your food. Throughout the meal an employee checks to see if you need refills or any assistance. At the end of the meal someone clears your table.
Eating out is a luxury in my house. It's not something we do very often. When we do opt for fast food, we usually hit the drive-through, because trying to keep track of our kids while ordering gets to be complicated. I appreciated the effort my local Chick-Fil-A is making to provide a stress-free eating environment. Plus, I think this VIP seating would be beneficial for customers other than parents: disabled, the elderly, anyone who might have trouble navigating a crowded restaurant with a tray of food.
Unfortunately, this isn't a national program. It's something my local Chick-Fil-A came up with and is testing. The last time I checked, the program was still in the testing stage, but I'm hoping it launches soon (and catches on at other fast food restaurants!)
(Disclosure: My daughters and I were provided with a complimentary lunch from Chick-Fil-A to test this program. The restaurant was not aware that I have a blog and I was the one who asked if I could post about this program).

She Knows What She Wants

2011-03-24T12:15:00.000-06:00

Ever since Cakes got her ears pierced on Saturday, I have been waging a battle with Sue Sue. She really wants her ears pierced. She does not want to stop sucking her thumb.
In the beginning, I thought she would be the first to break the habit. She tried. She really, really tried. One night, she asked if she could stop wearing her sock mittens. I agreed. That night she sucked her thumb in her sleep. I gave her a second chance... she did it again.
After Cakes got her ears pierced, I put Sue Sue back in the sock mittens. I only put it on her thumb sucking hand. She sucked the other thumb in her sleep. I put a sock on both hands. She took them off in her sleep. Last night I had to work. I told Hubby to safety pin Sue Sue's sock mittens to her pajamas. Unfortunately, he chose a "short sock." She managed to get her thumb out of the sock and was sucking it when I came home from work. I would chalk this up to something she's unaware of while she sleeps... except when I related this story to her this morning she had a small smirk on her face.
I'm willing to continue this battle until I win. I give her encouragement and don't say or do anything to make her feel bad (even if I think she's aware of what she's doing). Eventually I'll win... and she'll get her ears pierced.

The Morning Routine

2011-03-23T10:48:00.000-06:00

Over the course of the last week or so, I had the chance to participate in a "breakfast research group." A friend of mine works for a public relations firm and her company had a client that needed to do some research on breakfast habits in families. It was nice to know I'm not alone when it comes to feeling rushed in the morning.
Most of the participants felt our biggest challenge to giving our children a proper breakfast is time. During the week I feel I'm in the middle of a finely tuned routine. One little thing can set that schedule into a tailspin. During the week, I rely on fast foods (not fast food restaurants, food I can make fast: toast, waffles, cereal).
Here's a look at what typically goes on: 6:45am everyone gets up; dressed and downstairs by 7:10am (on a good day); the girls are done with breakfast by 7:30am; I clean up and get my own breakfast, then we head back upstairs to brush teeth and clean earrings at 8am; put on shoes, coats, grab backpacks and out the door at 8:25am. This will all change next year, as kindergarten starts earlier than preschool. I can't wait to try to rouse sleepyhead Sue Sue even earlier!
Most of the participants agreed weekends are so much easier when it comes to breakfast. We all talked about having at least one "big breakfast" day on the weekend. For us, it's Sunday. Hubby typically makes pancakes. Our biggest challenge on that day is making sure no one is so stuffed that they won't eat lunch. I suppose we could make it brunch that day instead of breakfast, but I know I would be faced with choruses of "I'm hungry" by mid-afternoon.
So I'm curious, what's your biggest breakfast challenge?