Oh My... How true it is!!!!

It's been a tough couple of days and I am exhausted. The babies are all finally asleep and I thought I'd just google.... "coping with triplets" and this is some of what I found. The 8 Truths about Parenting Multiple Toddlers toward the bottom of the post describes my life.... I LOVE IT!!!

Time magazine warned that multiples are trouble "even in the best homes." Fact is, Time found this sobering factoid about time and triplets: "According to Australian researchers, it takes 198 hours a week to run a household and care for triplets. That's 30 more hours than there are in a week."

Coping with twins, triplets -- and more: UW Medical Center offers special classes for expectant parents
Laurie McHale

The impact of multiple births on a family is not additive, it's exponential. Few parents are prepared for the enormous emotional, physical and financial demands that accompany this phenomenon.

After labor and delivery, the hard part begins. The television sit-com versions of life with twins and triplets are a far cry from the truth. The effect of one baby on a household is monumental; two, three, four or more is earth-shaking.

Eight Truths About Parenting Multiple Toddlers
Without a doubt, the toddler years with your twins, triplets, or more, will be full of laughter and amazement, not to mention CEO-level management.

1. It Will be a Very Noisy Time: toddlers don’t merely express their opinions; they need to be sure you’ve heard them. They don’t really care whether or not you agree, but they do require an indication that you’re listening. Until they receive that acknowledgement, they will continue to repeat the same comment or question over and over (and over) until you respond—and then possibly a few more times even after you’ve acknowledged them. Be prepared to make the words, “Uh-huh,” “OK,” and “Yes” staples of your vocabulary. (She fails to describe the noise level when you tell them "NO")

2. The Art of Childproofing Will Be Taken to a Whole New Level: Toddlers love to explore. Multiple toddlers tend to take the concepts of exploration and adventure a few steps further and—trust me—they will get into things you never imagined they would (or could). Multiple toddlers barely speak your language, but they have a way of communicating with one another to strategize a way of reaching the tallest spot in the house or opening anything with a certified childproofing mechanism. In fact, most childproofing mechanisms don’t work for too terribly long with multiples. The lesson: If it gets too quiet in the house and you know they are not asleep, be very concerned.

3. Potty Training Requires Utmost Patience : Regardless of the training program you use, it’s a safe bet that your multiples won’t take to using the watering hole at precisely the same moment or in precisely the same manner. I can almost guarantee that for awhile, once you get child #1 out of the Target restroom, having ascertained to the best of your ability that child #2 does not have to go (and even possibly after convincing her to try anyway), child #2 will announce that she now has to go…right now…or else. And rest assured, it will be the day you decided to try putting them in real underwear, so you won’t even be able to rely on the Pull-Ups. What you will be able to rely on is the fact that a clean-up request will be announced for Lane 6 momentarily.

4. They Are Finicky, and They’ll Switch on a Dime: Know that the minute you produce the apple juice your two year old has requested, he’ll decide he wants orange juice—and will accept nothing less. The issue when you’re raising more than one toddler at the same time is that the instant Katie decides her apple juice isn’t going to work, Kelly will insist that hers isn’t going to work either. Same goes for shirt, pant, and shoe selection. Another enjoyable experience: One of your toddlers asks to watch “Finding Nemo” while the other insists on watching “The Wiggles.” I have one child who likes for me to sing to the radio in the car and one who would have you think such an activity is doing irreparable damage to his ear drums. They both scream, one for me to sing and the other for me to stop. (This TRULY happens all the time in our house... Kaylee - Mommy sing!!!!!, Addison - No Mommy don't sing!!!!!). You must determine when you will draw the line on the constant need for modifications, and know that the point at which you choose to draw the line can change at any time given how much sleep you had the night before or how many times you’ve had to go through the change routine already that day.

5. There Is No Such Thing As a Family Meal That Consists of Fewer Than 20 Options : At some point you will likely determine it’s time to begin serving “family dinners,” whereby you all gather around the table for a delicious, healthy meal you’ve slaved over, accompanied by some good old-fashioned family conversation. Such intentions are absolutely to be admired. Be prepared, however, for the fact that in all likelihood, your toddlers won’t like what’s being served (and if only one does, the other may well suddenly change her mind, as I mentioned earlier). I used to become so frustrated when I’d cook a nice meal, only to have it accompanied not by conversation but by constant screaming for Cheerios, marshmallows, or pizza. Now, I put applesauce, yogurt, and a fruit or vegetable that I know they like on the table with the other menu items. This way, there’s something I am certain they will eat even if it’s not what they’d order off the menu given the choice, and my husband and I don’t find ourselves having to stand up every four seconds to retrieve such an item from the refrigerator or pantry. (This is EXACTLY what we do!!!)

6. It’s Expensive : Obviously, you’re going to be dealing with multiple shirts, shorts, and shoes for the next 16 years or so. However, the toddler years with multiples can be expensive for more reasons than just clothes. It is usually during these years that we start signing our kids up for music classes, parent/tot swimming classes, mother’s-day-out programs, or—for the extremely optimistic fathers out there—golf lessons. In most cases, you will be responsible for registration and participation fees times two or more.

7. You Are Going to Need a Hobby That You Greatly Enjoy : There is a reason the term “The Terrible Twos” has gained a lot of notoriety. It’s a time during which toddlers learn a great deal, which is exciting to watch. It’s also a time when you will be challenged almost constantly in terms of your ability to be patient and calm, and possibly not to shout “Shut up!” at the top of your lungs as everyone vies for your attention simultaneously for the sixth hour in a row. It will be critical to your sanity during this time to have a hobby you enjoy and can lose yourself in as often as necessary. (My hobbies I guess are photography and blogging)

8. It’s Going to Be Messy : Toddlers have little to no need for order and cleanliness. Find me a toddler’s room that is cleaned by him or her on a weekly basis and, well, I’m moving in with you for a week to absorb your strategy. Play-doh will end up on the floor (but hopefully not in the carpet), crayon will end up on walls (buy the washable kind), sippy cups will spill (even though the manufacturer claims they are spill-proof), and more urine will likely hit the floor than the cute little potty bowl. I know without a doubt that I could clean all day, every day, and be able to start all over again once I was finished. Keep the following running through your head: “I have toddlers. The house is going to be messy. It won’t last forever.”

http://www.mostonline.org/schoolage.htm ( You can read the whole article here)

Anchors Away

There is such a small window of time in which you can dress little boys like little boys.... They will be in jeans and t-shirts soon enough. But blue checked overalls and sailor suits last for such a short time.

Ebay Junkie....

I recently started selling on Ebay and now I think I'm addicted. I'm looking for anything I can sell... I sold our triplet stroller since we had to move up to a quad stroller with the birth of Cody and I've started selling the clothes the kids have outgrown (with some heartache as I remember them in these little outfits, but I can't keep everything). The money I've gotten for the kids clothes so far I have since spent on new clothes, but I feel like they are getting a whole new wardrobe for free or close to free!! I've always shopped on Ebay, but have fallen in love with selling.

After all, my husband works way too hard for the money for me to go and throw it away and he wants to retire SOON!!!! The less we spend, the more we SAVE!!!! Yippee!!!

Blooming among the flowers

The Perfect Storm

As I've stated in previous posts, life with our brood has gotten much easier and on occasion the stars align in such a way that all the kids are happy and a joy, but on increasingly more rare occasions the stars curse us and align in such a way that every child is moody, whiney, needy, and LOUD. This was our night last night. While one might try to imagine what it sounds like with 4 crying and screaming babies, you really have to live it to understand how your muscles begin to tighten, your sense of humor begins to shorten, and your own voice begins to rise. The crys range from "Boo Boo" to "Blow Nose" to "Drink", to just plain old screaming. Kaylee was crying because Jerry just wasn't sitting where she wanted him to sit.... fortunately, these times are becoming fewer and fewer, but when the perfect storm strikes... look out!!

Giggles make the heart grow fonder...

Great Financial Quotes to Live By....

In light of today's economy I thought a posting on the importance of savings might be of interest.

"Why bother to become a better saver? Because boosting your saving prowess can have a huge emotional payoff. Nine out of ten savers say they're 'happy' with their lives. Savers are more likely than spenders to be happy with their lifestyle, self-esteem, even their appearance. They're more likely to feel confident and content, less likely to feel stressed and restless. Spenders are just the opposite: They're more likely to be frustrated with their lot in life."
— Jean Chatzky

"Doing what is right for you — including making sure you'll have what you need in any sitution — may mean giving up what you want right now to pay for what you could need later on. I hope you decide to do this, for you'll be amazed at how much control over your life you will feel with your emergency fund standing behind you."
— Suze Orman

"The basic truth is that you must plan for the unexpected, because it will happen. Although we don't know what form it will take, it will come. To think otherwise is naive. So you have to plan for it. Saving into an emergency fund is an essential element for financial peace."
— Dave Ramsey

"There is no greater power known to man than compounding interest."
- Albert Einstein

"When you're starting out financially, you need to take four steps:
. Find a low-cost checking account.
. Eliminate debt.
. Build an emergency fund.
. Start saving for long-term goals."
- Laura Rowley

An interesting person to study is Warren Buffett. He was ranked by Forbes as the richest person in the world during the first half of 2008, with an estimated net worth of $62.0 billion. Buffett is noted for his adherence to the value investing philosophy and for his personal frugality despite his immense wealth. In 1979 despite having a net worth of $620 million, placing him on the Forbes 400 for the first time, he lived solely on his salary of $50,000 per year. He currently lives in the same house in the central Dundee neighborhood of Omaha that he bought in 1958 for $31,500, today valued at around $700,000. Jerry loves to study him and Jerry's favorite quote from him is "I will tell you how to become rich. Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful." Great advice perhaps, but easier said than done as we contemplate when to start aggressively investing in the stock market again....

Happy savings...

Like Grandfather, Like Grandson

Dad watched the kids about 3 hours this morning while Mom and I worked on the girls room.... this is what watching the kiddo will do to you.

Videos

The Girls Sing "Jesus Loves Me".... during dinner with mouths full....



Our Little Man Bounces Like Tigger:

No greater compliment

We went out for dinner last night, which we now do about 2 or 3 times a week, and as we sat a table near us asked if they were triplets and how old they were. We did our normal, "Yes, they are speech... yada yada." At the end of our meal the couple came over and told us they had grown twins, but they never behaved as well our 2 1/2 year olds and we were clearly doing something right. There is no greater compliment than having someone tell you how beautiful and well behaved your children are. I was glowing the rest of the evening. It has gotten soooo much easier and I now love going out to dinner with the kids.

A Good Day

A good day. The triplets went to "school" this morning and Mom, Dad, and I started painting the girls room and it turned out beautiful. It is beginning to look so soft and feminine. The bedspread for Jadon's bed came today and so his big boy bed is complete. I'll paint the boys room here in the near future. AHHHH, I love a productive day.

Cody is officially on solids and had his 1st taste of green beans today, but with solids comes poop. We only got soiled diapers from him every 7 to 14 days and now it's about every two days. Tonight he had the blow out of the century so we put all the kids in the shower tonight and let them play a while. Also, if you run you finger across Cody's bottom gums, you can feel his 1st tooth breaking through.