Always Ready

Are you prepared for a disaster?!

Winter Bins - Lucas & Owen

Let's be honest, the answer is no.  No matter how much you plan, organize or pack you can never be prepared enough.  What you can do is eliminate some of the stressors.  During my pregnancy I spent A LOT of time (6 months to be exact) laying on the couch watching TV.  Mixed in with crazy dance moms, emotionally unstable wedding dress hunters, teen moms and the ex-amish I found "doomsday preppers."  I don't believe in their extremes but I did learn a few things about what we NEED if disaster strikes!  

2 weeks after the trio came home WI started the winter worry about a "blizzard."  If memory serves me this so called blizzard ended up a dusting but regardless I packed up 2 bins of things we would need.  A week ago I packed up the same bins for summer in case of a power outage or tornado.  

Our plan: If I am home alone with the kids I will pack the bins and kids and drive 8 blocks to my parents, assuming the weather allows travel.  If Andy and I are both home we would have to make the decision to either stay or go.  If we stay our basement has rock n plays and play mats.  Our survival bins have: WATER, baby formula, bottles, baby food, baby tylenol and gas drops, diapers, wipes, baby clothes (extra clothes, socks, things to keep warm), blankets, hats/mittens, snow plants, lighters, candles, baby toys, books, an extra phone charger, extra batteries and a flashlight.  I would say this is a very basic list - we have never accounted for long periods of time or food for Andy and I and after reading this list realize we have no medical supplies but like I said, it's a start.  

Does luck favor the prepared?  Maybe but luck isn't something we control.  Our readiness is.  I hope we never have to use these bins.  It saddens me the continued disasters across the globe, the loss of lives and homes, the fear within us and the unknown.  Being prepared is my way to keeping the fear at bay.  

xo, Bridget

Sign Language

A B C

We've been doing sign language with the trio since they were 2m, once they were home from the NICU.  We started by ordering a DVD/book set from SigningTime - the kids LOVED it.  It captured their attention, was easy for Andy and I to learn and taught us fun songs.  

Why Sign Language?

*Increased Language Skills

*Earlier Verbal Skills - your baby will sign back between 8-12 months.  They'll understand the signs much sooner, though.  

*Higher IQ

I decided to start sign language long before the trio was born.  During college and for 2 years after I worked with non-verbal Autistic children.  Many of them used communication devices rather than sign language - both, in my opinion, have their own benefits but signing is something that can come even before you know if your child will have language delays.  It's an excellent tool to eliminate frustration, involve your child in their daily routine and teach basic vocabulary (vocabulary size is an effective predictor of reading comprehension).  

It's very simple to learn and teach basic signs.  You can order the DVDs, books, etc. to help become more confident (watch them on youtube, see below). Pick a few signs that you want to learn/teach - words that you use regularly. Once you've made a list take every opportunity to sign with your kiddos - at mealtime, diaper changes, transitions, bath time, all the time!  Here are some easy signs to start with:

*mom

*dad

*diaper

*more

*all done

*milk

Here are some signing links that might be helpful if you choose to start using sign language. 

"Diaper Dance" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtU1_1U6VDA&list=PL51530060F52922C1

Singing Time - http://www.signingtime.com/

WeeHands - http://www.weehands.com/

Great Book for Parents - http://www.amazon.com/The-Baby-Signing-Book-Includes/dp/0778804518/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368663588&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=the+baby+singing+book+sara+bingham

xo, Bridget  (I'm currently taking classes to become a Singing Teacher and couldn't be more excited!!)

Budget Success

Owen grocery shopping! 

Budget Update ... SUCCESS!  
At the beginning of May I made a meal calendar for the entire month and grocery shopped accordingly. So far I've found 2 things I missed (and needed) as well as 5ish things I wanted but didn't include - not bad!  I also have started recalculating recipes to be 1/2 or 1/4 the size so we have MUCH less waste!  When I looked at our financial waste 2 things stood out: groceries and Target.  Target is more about self control whereas the grocery waste is about not eating leftovers, not using food fast enough and buying things that we don't need.    

Math is absolutely not my strong point so altering recipes has been a lot about second guessing and hoping for the best but so far everything has turned out just as wonderful as previously.  There are a few websites, see below, that help with scaling or altering a recipe to make it a little less stressful.  Another thing I've done is plan our recipes to maximize the use of meat - for instance one day we had spaghetti with meatballs and a few days later had meatball subs.  I made all of the meatballs one afternoon but waited to cook the second half until the day of - same fresh taste!  It's the little things that make a difference.  

Now, I said we were on a budget but that doesn't mean I've stopped spoiling my peanuts!!!  SO with the money we're saving on less waste I used to buy the kids a tent.  Now they can be outside with me and I don't have to worry about sunburn!  Ok, ok ... I also bought them chairs! ;)  

http://allrecipes.com/help/recipeinfo/scaling.aspx

http://food.unl.edu/web/fnh/reduce-recipe-size

Mother's Day Gifts ~ Sneak Peek

Mother's Day is just around the corner!  

We have had an outstanding amount of help over the past 7 months from our immediate family, extended family, friends and even strangers.  I wanted to honor all of the women who have helped us and remind them how grateful and appreciative we really are of them!  After purchasing over 20 Mother's Day cards I began to search for gifts that would be personal and meaningful.  For Momma G my sisters and I bought her a KitchenAid Mixer, something she has mentioned many times but never splurged for - the trio is anxious to have some of GG's desserts!!!  

Cookie of the Month Club

I have a new love of baking and have been trying many new recipes that are healthier options to traditional snacks.  For my grandma and 2 other special women I am going to make a batch of cookies each month (gluten free!).  Here is a photo of the plate & poem:

Baby Mug

Who doesn't want a mug with the trio on it - haha.  I used an online deal to make a personalized mug and am filling it with treats chosen for that specific individual.  

I have a few other ideas and plans but have not had the chance to put them together yet :)

and... if you're still unsure what to get YOUR mom here are some ideas: 

xo, Bridget

May Challenge: $500

Mackenzie & Owen are skeptical of this!

It seems every time I log onto Facebook I see something about budgeting, saving money or eliminating bills.  We have zero debt and pay all of our bills in full BUT have never had a budget.  I know approximately how much our credit card bill is every month but we haven't taken the time to analyze where our money is going or how to minimize our spending/maximize our savings.  I don't think we over spend - we buy things that we use they just aren't things we necessarily need.  For example, a lot of things we purchase are "deals" on things we won't use for 1+ years - we have a stock pile in our basement of kids toys - a sand/water table, Little People, leggos, a Disney Princess toy house (seriously!) So this month I'm challenging us to NOT buy ANYTHING we aren't going to use in the next 30ish days.  Our goal is $500 or less and we will put the remaining money that we usually spend in our kiddos savings accounts.  I've outlined where our money goes but omitted our regular household bills from our $500 budget - we're starting small.  WISH US LUCK!!! 
What our budget includes:
*groceries
*diapers (~750 diapers per month)
*formula (~45 cans of Neosure)
*gas
*household bills (cable, 2 phones, WE, water)

A Garden for Ms. Gardner

When I taught Kindergarten we grew grass in little plastic cups.  That is the extent of my planting experience and knowledge.  

This year I decided to try and grow a few vegetables - tomatoes, green beans, sweet peas, peppers, cucumbers, carrots and a pumpkin or two.

I really had no expectations but figured it was worth a shot.  To my surprise everything has taken (so far)!  At first I planned to just put them in pots - it seemed much easier.  Now, though, I am dedicating a portion of our yard to an actual garden - little fence, plants - the real deal.  It will take some elbow grease but I'm hoping for a good outcome.  

Why now?  There are a few reasons for this new activity - baby food, a hobby & making my own tomato sauce.  I would love to make my baby food not only from fresh produce but from MY produce!  Since I'm not teaching anymore I really have no hobbies that aren't baby related so maybe I'll fall in love with this, you never know.  This has also given me a new avenue for recipes as I've been researching new things I can make with these particular veggies (I'm mostly looking forward to Asian Beef with Sweet Peas).  

For now, it's one day at a time and hoping the seeds yield something tasty! :)

(When I taught I was "Ms. Gardner."  When we were growing grass we had a planting center with seeds, dirt, water and journals for writing down what we grew.  One of my students drew a flower garden and titled it - in her writing - "a grdn fr ms. gardner")

Feeding At the ZOO

Feeding 3 has always been a challenge!  Do you feed all 3 at the same time and try to balance bottles and burps?  Do you stagger feeding and spend most of your day on meals?  Where do you feed them?  How do you ensure everyone eats enough?  Where do you find time to make organic foods?  How do you get them to take their vitamins?    

I'll be the first to admit I dread "meal time."  It's stressful, time consuming and constantly involves fussiness (waiting isn't one of our best attributes).  When the babies were teeny tiny everyone said this was "the hardest time."  Maybe my memory has faded but I think things were MUCH easier from birth-5 months.  Their routine was fabulous and predictable, everyone slept great, eating was a breeze.  Now, with teething and more mobility, things are more challenging.  Don't misread this and think I'm complaining - I love their new abilities! They're more social, more engaged, laugh and talk - I wouldn't trade our current stage for the previous.  That being said I have had to make many adjustments to our routine to maintain a calm, peaceful and developmentally appropriate environment.  

The first adjustment was adding transitional activities.  We used to go from one thing to another, quickly.  Now, if I want a constant flow I need to have toys, music and silly faces to keep them occupied while they wait for their turn.  

Another change is location.  Since adding solids we have had to relocate our feeding area.  Luckily we have a fabulous table (aka baby prison) that makes spoon feeding easy.  We still use the Boppy pillows for bottle propping - this allows all 3 to eat at the same time.  Now that they are interested in holding their own bottles this has become more challenging but for now it is still a successful arrangement.  

To ensure everyone eats their portion and vitamin I use plates with 3 dividers.  We all eat together, one spoonful at a time.  I add the vitamins right to their food - tricky, I know!  

Right now, at 7 months, we are eating solids 3x/day.  We're eating ~30oz. of formula in addition to the solids which equals ~650-700calories/day - right on track for their "real age."  The trio likes bananas, banana baby yogurt, avocado, green beans and squash.  Occasionally they eat rice cereal mixed with their solids but for the most part eat just the fruit/veggie since they already have rice in their bottles.  Thanks to my Baby Bullet these foods are easier to make than a grilled cheese!!!  

Fingers crossed that in the months to come they start holding their own bottles and meal time will be less stressful!!!