adventures from behind the shopping cart

my view from behind the shopping cart...

after my post the other day i've had several emails about how i do even go to the store by myself. i thought going to the store with 1 was impossible...then there were 2...and then...4. so, let me fill ya in...

while mostly i do not go to the store on solo missions, i do sometimes need out of the house for short 'to get' type of lists. so we went to target for diapers & a few things for the twins upcoming birthday celebration. there are typically 2 ways i can do it, either with a double shopping cart yes, the gigantic ones that don't turn or either of my big strollers and my moby wrap.

i wear one of the twins. i usually end up wearing {matty} since he's the smallest, but sometimes {sam} just needs some momma time too. the big boys ride in the cart, although {ben} is big enough to walk along side me or ride on the end of the cart too. i prefer the shopping cart because of the space to put things. the stroller just doesn't allow for bigger or lots of items. but i can do the stroller if i bring my own bags which i usually do anyways and hang them from the handles. this is ideal for really quick trips who am i kidding?! or i don' feel like hunting for or cannot find a double shopping cart. i put {gabe} and one of the twins in and wear the other, while {ben} walks along side of us. {ben} likes carrying his own bag so that helps to entertain him. and the boys sometimes do better with the stroller because it's a familiar space.

either of these methods work with multiple yes, even just 2 kiddos. just be prepared to switch it up in the middle of the store if need be. the earlier in the day i go, the better because of nap times. sometimes i bring snacks for the kids to munch on if we'll be out a little longer, like graham crackers, pretzels or cereal. that's a good distraction for a bit. and then my fall back is lollipops. i'm not against bribing. i have boys after all, not sweet still-sitting perfect angels.

happy shopping! what's your trick to shopping with kids?

- Posted from my iPhone

the easy way out adventures

as many of you would guess, time is hard commodity to come by in our house. i've definitely had to learn how to truly multi-task, plan ahead & time things out a little more in all areas of life. it's against the very core of my being to have a schedule to stick to, but i have learned how wonderful necessary it truly is to some degree. i never want to be the person that can't be flexible with their schedule or OCD about things that were planned to do & didn't get done. personally, i think it adds unnecessary stress when you could just be enjoying this ride we call life.

i'd say the number 1 question i get asked is "how do you do it?!" to which i usually respond, "by the grace of God and lots of prayers." which is totally true, but i've also figured out a few tricks to help ease the everyday needs.

food
i have toddlers & babies, so cooking & meal times are stressful! and i'm usually the only one home for most meals. so i, like most moms, try to makes as few arguments as possible & feed my kids what i know they will eat...which for us is protein. i've got boys, what can i say?! my meal rule...eat whatever for lunch, but you eat what mommy & daddy eat at dinner. and then i usually bribe them with dessert to finish dinner. :)
* i do my big trips of grocery shopping online. thankfully we have a store locally that for the small fee of $4.95 will shop for you, load the car & take your payment at the car when you come to pick it up. it's awesome! if you live in the mid-atlantic check to see if one near you does the same.
* i buy chicken tenderloins because they cook faster
* i use my crock pot year round! instead of boiling chicken on the stove, i'll stick it in the crock pot & pull it out & shred it at dinner. i always make extra because my boys tear through some chicken.
* i cook spaghetti or whatever other fun shaped whole wheat noodles by the box full & put them in the fridge.

around the house
* i use kitchen scissors to cut up food for my boys. much faster & easier than the standard fork & knife...we have 3 pairs :)
* we have mainly hard surfaces in the house, so we bought a vacuum/ hard floor cleaner. it's amazing! first i vacuum, and without getting anything else out, i clean & dry the floors. bonus: it's great for blocking out the sounds of extra whiny kiddos.
* i can't usually fold laundry right away, but need to keep things moving, so i will pull everything out of the dryer after the 2nd buzzer and make flat piles of clothes according to which room it's going to. babies, big boys, mine & {matt}'s and then i just have a massive folding session after dinner. sometimes not until after bed, which means i put them away the following morning.
* i store my sheet sets together. i stack the folded sheets & pillowcase for double beds & bigger and then put in a pillowcase in the closet.


and lately i've had a few of those "why didn't i think of that sooner" moments...

* like i moved the high chairs from the dining room into the kitchen. guess i thought they wouldn't fit over the counter...i was wrong. now clean up is a breeze!

* and thanks to my genius and gorgeous friend hannah, i put {sam} in his own "baby pool". it was a great containment for him while i was watering plants in the backyard. he could stand up in it, but because of the weight of the water, it won't tip over. score!




*and my awesome cousin just posted today on facebook that she had stuck some snowballs in their deep freezer from the plentiful snow that poured over the midwest last winter. brilliant & fun!

* and Jen over at Buried With Children gave a great how-to for dealing with a middle of the night bed wetting...and we all know

i'm sure that i've forgotten plenty but now i wanna know,what are your tried & true mommyhood survival tips?

life long adventures with my best friend

some may have thought i was talking about my dear, sweet husband, it's not. although he is my best friend this is in honor of my bff cliche yes, but true. it's her birthday, i'm writing a post on her...and well friendship.

this just makes my all tingly with sweet nostalgia :)
3 &4 years

{B} is 11 months older than i am. since our parents have been friends since college, we can say that she came to meet me at the hospital after i was born. whether or not that is actually true, i'm not exactly sure, but you get the idea. i've known her literally since day 1. it's been a God ordained kinda friendship that has endured time and distance over the last 28 years. i would say she's like the sister i never had, but i have 2 sisters...so i guess she's just like #3. i've been blessed to know her and continue to be a part of her life.

this friendship seemed normal to me until the last couple of years. i now have a better sense of how truly special it is. most people can say friends since high school or college and that's pretty awesome, but we have them beat. i get a little teary eyed thinking of all the things that we have gotten to experience together and still the things to come.

i can only hope & pray that there are friends like this waiting for my boys. full of love & grace. acceptance & forgiveness. encouragement & deep understanding. it's comforting knowing that they will always have each other, but i beg God sometimes for someone outside the family because we all need a friend like that. they keep us sane. :)

although i've just focused on {B} since it's her birthday, the best part of our friendship is that it wasn't just the 2 of us.  when i was about 2ish we met another family with a little girl our age...who was born just between us {B} june, {Abs} december & {k} may. we were the 3 musketeers for sure. fantastic memories of childhood, adolescence & now adulthood with these girls.

so not only is it {B}'s birthday, they are coming into town to see me this weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY {B}! 

enjoy the last year of your 20's &

 may it be filled with many new adventures :)

while i'm not particularly fond of this picture,
it's the most recent one i have.