"Look, Mommy, that lady has a baby in her tummy. I wonder if it's a girl or a boy", our 5 year old politely commented.
"I don't know, honey, but you never ask a lady if she is pregnant. What if her tummy is just big like that?", I replied.
K answered, horrified, "That would be TERRIBLE!!!!"
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Time with friends
What is it about time with old friends that refreshes you? B & I were college roommates who married fraternity brothers and we are godparents to each other's children. She just had a birthday, so I flew to celebrate with her & 2 other friends flew in too. It was a great weekend! I didn't change any diapers, button anyone else's shirt, fix anyone else's hair, wash clothes, or clean the house. The most work I have done is emptying my trash can or putting one bowl in the dishwasher! It has been wonderful. We went out to eat, which is always a treat, and toured her beautiful new city. She was the perfect hostess! I will leave refreshed and ready to wash clothes and hug my children and precious husband!! He deserves an award for keeping 5 children by himself for the weekend!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Airport Parking
When you must fly, it is easy to forget where you parked your car at the airport! I just love this idea. Use your camera phone, I Phone, or camera and take a picture of the section where you parked your car. When you return, you'll be able to find it! A friend's mother started doing this after she mistakenly reported her car stolen! I love it!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Laundry
With a family of 7, there is always a load in our washing machine. However, I have learned how to keep up with the laundry so that we are not overwhelmed. On weekdays, I take turns changing the sheets. I may change 2 or 3 beds in one day, but I try not to change all of the beds in one day because our machines are not capable of keeping up with bedding from 6 beds in just a few hours time. Our children have SEVERE dust mite allergies, so when I change their beds, I must wash EVERYTHING from sheets to comforter to stuffed animals, etc in HOT water. So, I suggest having a second set of sheets, which I am sure most of you have. This means that you can wash the comforter, coverlet, and special sleep items first, and the sheets last. This will allow you to have a freshly made bed much faster.
I don't like for my children to sleep with dirty things. Our 2 year old has a lovie she calls "night night". Thankfully, she has 5 of them (3 flowers, a lamb, and a bunny). She is not partial to any one since she was introduced to all of them as an infant. Therefore, I throw night night in the wash daily so that she always has a clean one and doesn't carry around extra germs. You should do this with any lovie or blanket.
In our laundry area (it is a closet, not a room), I have a basket for dirty dark clothes and a basket for dirty white clothes. When I bring laundry downstairs, I separate. I am sure you do the same thing. This makes it easy to fill a load and start washing. We tend to wash more whites than darks, so I will often fill the washer if it is empty rather than put the dirty items in the white basket. I wash a load as soon as I have a load. I do not let laundry pile up. In fact, I try to have very little left to do at the end of each day. I wash at least 3 loads a day. Why? Or How?, you may ask. Why? I wash because I have to do it. When 7 people take off their underwear and clothes, it creates a pile. Our children wear school uniforms so I wash those daily. We wash the children's washcloths after every bath because it's too difficult to know whose is whose. I regularly wash our kitchen towel and dishcloth to cut down on the spread of germs. Florida has rich soil, which creates black feet, so we have to bathe the children just about every night. I am trying to get to the point, start a load as soon as you have a full load. Don't let your laundry pile up. My machine runs throughout the day. As soon as the clothes are dry, I fold them. I have 2 baskets... one for the children and one for us. Once it is full, I take it upstairs & put the clothes away.
I find that the easiest time to put away clothes is when the children are in the bath. They want to play for a little while, so I put the basket on one of their beds and make a pile for each child. I can see the children in the tub the whole time or at least hear them. Please do NOT leave your children unattended in the bathtub! Accidents do happen! I then take one pile at a time and put it away. Since I am not letting the laundry get away from me, I don't usually have enormous piles of clothes. Each of our drawers is divided for t-shirt, shorts, nightgowns, socks, etc. which makes it easy to put away clothes. I hang the hanging clothes immediately. Then, I put the basket at the top of the stairs to go back downstairs and I refill it as clothes come out of the dryer! I hope this helps.
I don't like for my children to sleep with dirty things. Our 2 year old has a lovie she calls "night night". Thankfully, she has 5 of them (3 flowers, a lamb, and a bunny). She is not partial to any one since she was introduced to all of them as an infant. Therefore, I throw night night in the wash daily so that she always has a clean one and doesn't carry around extra germs. You should do this with any lovie or blanket.
In our laundry area (it is a closet, not a room), I have a basket for dirty dark clothes and a basket for dirty white clothes. When I bring laundry downstairs, I separate. I am sure you do the same thing. This makes it easy to fill a load and start washing. We tend to wash more whites than darks, so I will often fill the washer if it is empty rather than put the dirty items in the white basket. I wash a load as soon as I have a load. I do not let laundry pile up. In fact, I try to have very little left to do at the end of each day. I wash at least 3 loads a day. Why? Or How?, you may ask. Why? I wash because I have to do it. When 7 people take off their underwear and clothes, it creates a pile. Our children wear school uniforms so I wash those daily. We wash the children's washcloths after every bath because it's too difficult to know whose is whose. I regularly wash our kitchen towel and dishcloth to cut down on the spread of germs. Florida has rich soil, which creates black feet, so we have to bathe the children just about every night. I am trying to get to the point, start a load as soon as you have a full load. Don't let your laundry pile up. My machine runs throughout the day. As soon as the clothes are dry, I fold them. I have 2 baskets... one for the children and one for us. Once it is full, I take it upstairs & put the clothes away.
I find that the easiest time to put away clothes is when the children are in the bath. They want to play for a little while, so I put the basket on one of their beds and make a pile for each child. I can see the children in the tub the whole time or at least hear them. Please do NOT leave your children unattended in the bathtub! Accidents do happen! I then take one pile at a time and put it away. Since I am not letting the laundry get away from me, I don't usually have enormous piles of clothes. Each of our drawers is divided for t-shirt, shorts, nightgowns, socks, etc. which makes it easy to put away clothes. I hang the hanging clothes immediately. Then, I put the basket at the top of the stairs to go back downstairs and I refill it as clothes come out of the dryer! I hope this helps.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Crazy Mama
Yesterday was a day like any other day. The children came home from school and begged to swim in our pool. I relented. It was 80*F outside and beautifully sunny. The big 4 had a ball playing games and swimming. I cleaned our cushions with Clorox while they played. Since Clorox can easily take the color out of your clothes, I shed my pants. No worries, our back yard is walled and only those on a second floor could look down and see. For all the world knew, I had on a bathing suit and t-shirt. When it was time to come in, I asked the children to clean up their toys and get out of the pool. I have not even put my feet in the pool this year because the water is too cold. As they were drying off, I ran and jumped in the pool in my t-shirt and undies & swam to the side. The children LOVED it! They laughed & screamed and shared their towels. I scored MAJOR COOL MOMMY points. We went inside, and I heard them excitedly exclaim, "I can't WAIT to go to school & tell my teacher Mama jumped in the pool in her UNDERWEAR!!" Great. That is JUST what she needs to hear. Never mind that I had on a t-shirt too. Hilarious.
However, I think my friend, B, has me beat. She was new to a town and the minister's wife came over to take her to lunch. Her children excitedly answered the door saying, "We've been SKINNY DIPPING!". First impressions, folks, first impressions.
However, I think my friend, B, has me beat. She was new to a town and the minister's wife came over to take her to lunch. Her children excitedly answered the door saying, "We've been SKINNY DIPPING!". First impressions, folks, first impressions.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
How to pack your family for a weekend away
DH & I love to travel, and will take any opportunity to hop in the car and take the children on an adventure. Therefore, I have become quite proficient at packing for trips! If at all possible, plan your stay at a place where you will have access to a washer and dryer. Some hotels offer coin laundry machines. Others, like Canyon Ranch, have a laundry room that guests are allowed to use freely during their visit. Of course it is ideal to stay in a house or condo that has a washer and dryer readily available in your accommodations. Being able to wash clothes is key when traveling with children!
We just returned from a weekend away, so I will share an idea of what we packed. We did not have the ability to wash clothes on this trip, so I took a little more than normal. We have small canvas bags for each child. They stack easily and hold enough clothes for a weekend trip and can usually hold their blanket and pillow as well. For longer trips, I love the LL Bean Adventure Duffle bag.
Girls' bags:
-4 pairs underwear (we swim to change underwear frequently)
-1 angel sleeve nightgown/1 pair long-sleeved pajamas (did not know how cold our room would be)
-2 pairs socks
-1 pair Crocs for the beach and pool
-1 pair sandals for eating out, shopping, etc.
-1 hat for sunny days on the beach
-1 cover up
-2 bathing suits
-1 swim shirt
-1 pair goggles
-1 pair casual shorts... soffies to some of you
-1 pair cute Two Friends gingham shorts
-1 play t-shirt
-1 plain white t-shirt
-1 Lilly dress
-1 pr. Lilly pants
-1 light Lilly sweater
-hairbows, brush, toothbrush
-1 Leapster
-1 book
Had we had access to a washer and dryer, I would have brought 2 pairs of undies and 1 nightgown
For our son, I packed:
-2 pairs casual elastic waist shorts
-1 pair Vineyard Vines blue shorts
-1 belt
-3 pairs underwear
-2 pairs socks
-1 pair short pajamas, 1 pair long pajamas
-2 casual t-shirts (1 short sleeves, 1 long sleeves)
-2 polo shirts
-1 Vineyard Vines sweatshirt or light sweater
-2 bathing suits
-1 swim shirt
-1 pair crocs
-1 pair Rainbows
-I think he may need a pair of loafers for eating out on trips, but crocs are fine at the beach
-1 Leapster
-1 book
In an extra large LL Bean Tote Bag (Lands End sells them too), I carried 7 beach towels (one for each of us), our nebulizer, albuterol, cough medicine, Benadryl, motrin, tylenol, cups, sippy cups, pacifiers for H, sunscreen, and Zyrtec.
We always carry a small cooler with milk for H & K. We stopped and bought bottled water, turkey, cheese sticks, crackers, and fruit for snacks and lunches for the children in the room.
I hope this helps!
We just returned from a weekend away, so I will share an idea of what we packed. We did not have the ability to wash clothes on this trip, so I took a little more than normal. We have small canvas bags for each child. They stack easily and hold enough clothes for a weekend trip and can usually hold their blanket and pillow as well. For longer trips, I love the LL Bean Adventure Duffle bag.
Girls' bags:
-4 pairs underwear (we swim to change underwear frequently)
-1 angel sleeve nightgown/1 pair long-sleeved pajamas (did not know how cold our room would be)
-2 pairs socks
-1 pair Crocs for the beach and pool
-1 pair sandals for eating out, shopping, etc.
-1 hat for sunny days on the beach
-1 cover up
-2 bathing suits
-1 swim shirt
-1 pair goggles
-1 pair casual shorts... soffies to some of you
-1 pair cute Two Friends gingham shorts
-1 play t-shirt
-1 plain white t-shirt
-1 Lilly dress
-1 pr. Lilly pants
-1 light Lilly sweater
-hairbows, brush, toothbrush
-1 Leapster
-1 book
Had we had access to a washer and dryer, I would have brought 2 pairs of undies and 1 nightgown
For our son, I packed:
-2 pairs casual elastic waist shorts
-1 pair Vineyard Vines blue shorts
-1 belt
-3 pairs underwear
-2 pairs socks
-1 pair short pajamas, 1 pair long pajamas
-2 casual t-shirts (1 short sleeves, 1 long sleeves)
-2 polo shirts
-1 Vineyard Vines sweatshirt or light sweater
-2 bathing suits
-1 swim shirt
-1 pair crocs
-1 pair Rainbows
-I think he may need a pair of loafers for eating out on trips, but crocs are fine at the beach
-1 Leapster
-1 book
In an extra large LL Bean Tote Bag (Lands End sells them too), I carried 7 beach towels (one for each of us), our nebulizer, albuterol, cough medicine, Benadryl, motrin, tylenol, cups, sippy cups, pacifiers for H, sunscreen, and Zyrtec.
We always carry a small cooler with milk for H & K. We stopped and bought bottled water, turkey, cheese sticks, crackers, and fruit for snacks and lunches for the children in the room.
I hope this helps!
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