Making It Work!

 From sitting around at ballet classes & other child-centered events through out the week, I think that 1 of the biggest challenges I hear mommies talking about (aside from potty training) is trying to shop with the kids. Personally, with the exception of the seldom "off" day, I really do not think shopping with your kids has to be that bad. In fact, I just went on a grocery shopping adventure today with all my ladies by myself & we had a great time! Now, before I go on let me explain why it was able to be great, I worked my way up to it. A body builder does not start being able to automatically lift 800 lbs. That would be crazy! He starts off at the smaller weights & slowly works his way up to more challenging amounts. 4 kids is a lot, I definitely admit it, but as you start to get better at juggling just 1 kid at first, then 2, then 3, & now 4 it is less challenging because you worked your way up to it. So, whether you have just 1 kid or are 4 kids & counting like myself, I would like to offer a few tips that have helped me "get it down to a science" if you will.

 

First off, I believe the way your shopping trip is going to turn out ultimately starts with you & your attitude. If you decide to walk into it with a negative or intimidated attitude, then that is exactly the kind of experience you are going to have.You set the mood for the trip, whether you believe it or not. If you are choosing to be grumpy & annoyed, your kiddos are going to follow suit. If you are overwhelmed & stressed out, then they are going to act the same way. You have to make sure that before even starting to get yourself or the kids ready to go out that you do yourself the HUGE favor of getting your mind right! Know that you can do it, you can have a great time while also accomplishing things, & you do have the patience for it!

 

Once you have gotten your mind right, prepare! Pack the diaper bag or your kids backpack with any of the main essentials you could possibly need. Snacks are always nice, bibs, back up clothes or underwear, wipes, bottle, diapers, sanitizing wipes, & whatever else you think you might need. If you are grocery shopping, a list is so important. Kids can often times distract us a lil' bit, they are so darn cute & always saying the craziest things, so lists will help you get back on track. It is also a great idea to involve your kids in the process. Have them write their own lists so they feel like they are helping while at the store. Having kids go potty before you leave is vital! They may say they do not have to go, but trying never hurt anyone. I have 3 kids out of diapers, so I know that having to take 3 potty breaks while trying to shop would just be pure craziness. I also keep my lil' red IKEA potty in the car so if we are going to multiple stores they can try before going into each 1 if need be.

 

Once you have gone through the preparation process & all the kids are dressed & ready to go out the door, make sure you have everything. Is the stroller in the car? Do you have the Bjorn? All bags? Phone? Keys? Wallet? The breast pump if need be? Is everything turned off? Having to turn back around after you have loaded everyone into the car & you are half way to your location sucks (I have been there & done that plenty of times over!).

 

After you have arrived at your location, before doing anything, make sure you stop to talk to your kids & remind them of your expectations & safety rules while they are in the store. Make sure they repeat you & respond back so that you know they are listening & they can be no excuses for poor behavior. This is also a good thing to do before going to some one's house or going out to eat. Never just assume they know.

 

Next, its kind of trial & error to see what works best for you in different situations. Maneuvering through anywhere with 4 kids can be a lot. Do you feel like you can safely keep an eye on everyone? Are you able to get through the store quicker then a snails pace? I remember one time I tried taking all my girls to Jcpenny. I had to find one shirt for an event just really quick. I busted out with my double stroller (Addie and Aussie were in it) & I had the other 2 walking beside me holding my pockets. I will tell you right now, I have never had a more stressful experience in a store. The aisles were so tight that I could barely maneuver that big old thing without knocking something over. The kids were great, but 15 minutes in I was SO done. The double stroller at the mall? Works great! The double stroller through Jcpenny? Not so much. I have def come to love the Bjorn carrier for trips to the grocery store. My lil' teether loves it too! The 2 big girls walk & help grab things off the shelf & Aussie usually sits in the front seat of the cart. It works for me!

 

All in all, you just have to go for it! Not every adventure is going to turn out perfect, but I can promise you that the more you try the better you will get at it! Don't let yourself be intimidated.

 

-M&M Momma

 

P.S. Going on huge adventures with your younger ones that coincide with nap time should be avoided if possible. :)

 

 

For letter "H" day we wore
hats to the grocery store!

Can you tell they loved it!

Sad....

Helping to put groceries away, bless her heart.



Enjoying movie night with
"Super Daddy"

Treat for the night, Rice Krispy snowmen!

Tired out.
She fell asleep with a dolly in her belly-lol

Thoughts of the Day

Parenting can be frustrating at times, but we must do our best to always act out of love & not anger. We can apologize to our kid later for something we did or said, but it is not they are not so easily forgotten or erased. So, take a deep breath & do not let yourself react, instead respond with purpose & love! (reacting-vs-responding)

-M&M Momma

Family Traditions-Priceless!

So, apparently there is a "picture quota" on here that I have maxed out-go figure-so until I figure out how to overcome this obstacle my next 1 or 2 posts will sadly be a lil' on the bare side. Anyway, can't let that stop me.

We should have traditions incorporated into our family lives all year long. Fun things that set our families apart from others that bring everyone closer, traditions that our kids will remember fondly all the way into their adult years & hopefully carry on! A recent lil' thing we started doing in our family, that the ladies absolutely adore, is that every time we go grocery shopping they each can select 1 fruit or vegetable from the produce department. Sometimes they feel really daring & try something new & then other times they like to go with the every day banana or pear. This may seem like a small thing, but to the girls it is something great that we all have fun doing together. When they ask me the names of some of the more "odd" products, we all have fun laughing over some of the names. Their faces can be pretty priceless when they get home & try their selection too. Austin & lemons= priceless face! We have other things we like to do in our family like movie night Friday where me make a pizza, have a surprise dessert, & every week someone new gets to pick the movie. Taco Tuesday is also simple, but fun! I also enjoy our nightly snuggles after bath time where we get to unwind & read a book together or a new issue of "High Five" magazine. I also adore our "Banana Store/Red Store" strolls weekly after ballet practice. A new tradition I came up with this year (I mentioned in a previous post) is that I am making each kid a birthday album (pics from birth and then each birthday after) & every time they have a birthday I will add the new pictures to the album & a lil' info about what they were like & "into" at that time. These are memories made & special things that I will NEVER forget & I hope that my ladies won't either. Priceless!

The holiday season is also obviously a wonderful time to keep old family traditions going, but also create new ones. This year, I have discovered a few new traditions that I thought I would try out & share. Via Pinterest I found a tradition where you wrap 25 books (a mix of old & new) & every night your kiddo gets to unwrap 1 before bed that you can all read as a family. This year, in addition to the new pjs we always do on Christmas eve, I am going to have the ladies also unwrap a new sleeping bag, pillow pet, & flashlight & we all can camp out on the floor. I want to also surprise them with the fun surprise addition of glow in the dark stars that I will stealthily put up on the ceiling during the day! A Christmas tradition between my husband & I is that every year we good on the hunt to find a special ornament for each other & put it in the other's stocking. It can be something funny, sentimental, an inside joke, or whatever. For example, J actually found a pickle ornament! I guess it reminds him of me pregnant (aka the last 4 years of our relationship lol).

There are SO many other awesome Christmas traditions out there if you look. Pinterest.com is a great place to start. There's 25 RAK, make your own advent calendar, crafts, & so much more. Some other great sites with ideas that I came across were Family Christmas Traditions-Family With Purpose & Top-ten-christmas-traditions.

For me, I love to use to use this time to bring my family closer together, help my kiddos learn that its not all about them & focusing on others, & the true reason for the season. Traditions are a wonderful way to help facilitate all these things.

Well, enjoy the rest of your weekend & hopefully I will post pictures soon :( lol

-M&M Momma

 Flashback Dec 2012 Headed to Church!

Flashback Dec 2012 Snow Day!

Happy Birthday!!!

The ladies had been singing their lil' hearts out all morning & so I could not resist grabbing my camera to catch some of the priceless action. It was not until the camera started rolling I realized you could see Asher's undergarments, but how could I stop that passionate lil' singer mid-song?

 

So, here is the "A Team" singing to about the true reason for the season :)

 

There is ALWAYS Something 2 Be Thankful 4!

Thanksgiving is upon us & what could be better than taking this opportunity to once again remind our kiddos of the importance of being thankful for everything we have? I put together a really short & easy lesson plan to help teach the ladies this before we partake of dinner this year.

First, I am going to have all the girls show me their hands, wiggle their fingers, & wave them around in the air (a good way to wake them up & make sure you have their complete attention). I am going to then go on to talk about how during this season a lot of people tend to focus on what they don't have & what they "need". I will then take my hands to show my ladies with my hands a "gimme gimme" motion. I will then have them try to do it with their hands & then ask them if they think that is a good attitude to have. I am going to talk about how their is a better attitude to have not only during this time of the year, but all of the time. We should use our hands for good things like giving. I will then use my hands to show a "giving, giving" motion. We need to not only focus on appreciating what we already have, but also focus in on how we can help & benefit other people (give). I will then have the girls mimic a giving motion with their hands.

For the next portion of the lesson plan (the craft-Woo-hoo!) I am going to talk about how sometimes we can start to focus on the tings we do not have & want. We are all human, not perfect, & even though we may experience the feeling of being selfish or ungrateful from time to time we are capable of changing it! How? By changing what we are thinking about. I will let the ladies know that the next time they start to experience this negative feeling all they need to do is stop themselves & put 1 hand in front of their face & name five things they are thankful for. No matter what, if you are still breathing, you can always find at least 5 things to be thankful for. Sometimes are you going to have to stretch a lil' harder to think up at least 5 things? Sure, but it is never impossible! Life, family, a house, shoes, people who love you, clothing, toys, & so forth are all some things we can be appreciative of. I am then going to have the girls trace 1 hand onto construction paper & write in each finger something they are thankful for. Above their hand I will write "There is always something to be thankful for!" & then they can go crazy & decorate the rest! We are then going to laminate them & every year I want to repeat the art project to not only watch their hands grow & see what they are thankful for each year!

Have a safe & fun holiday!!!!

-M&M Momma

From our family to yours, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

 

Learning 2 Take a Compliment

As women, what is the first thing we tend to do when someone gives us a compliment? "Thanks, but....". Sometimes I think we need to learn how to just hold our tongues & receive what the person is saying whether we believe it yet or not. Its not us "just being humble" either. One day a person might comment "Oh, you look so thin!" & instead of being confident in ourselves & just giving them a nice "thank you" we tend to accompany it with a "Not really" or "I don't feel like it". Or maybe someone compliments an outfit we are wearing, but instead of just receiving it we cloud the compliment by saying something like "Really? This old thing".

If we want to make the necessary steps towards improving the image we have of ourselves, then 1 of the first things we have to do is train ourselves to embrace the kind words people say about us. Sometimes that means "faking it until you make it (aka believe it)!". It may be a lil' bit of a struggle at first because negativity is SO MUCH easier than keeping it positive, but it is not impossible. You may not necessarily believe the words someone is telling you at first (ex. I don't think I am that pretty), but with practice the view you have of yours (ex. You are so beautiful), but learning to take the compliment in & stop yourself after the "thank you" is a step in the right direction. Words are powerful things, so use them wisely! Not only speak positive words about yourself, but receive it when someone else throws some nice words in your direction as well. Hey, myself included. :)

-M&M Momma

Baby genius~

Play time with a friend...
and a dog!

 

Products You'll Love- "Indestructibles" Books

If you are a mommy or a daddy then you probably have experienced the frustration of books being ripped. My ladies are so sweet, gentle, & absolutely love books, but they have even had their "Oops! Sorry, Mama!" days where they get a lil' too enthusiastic about turning a page or accidentally spill something on them. Well, a friend recommend this awesome new product, created by a parent of course. Introducing "Indestructible Books"! They can be bent, drooled on, & can be read over & over again without any wear or tear! It is so important to expose kiddos to literature as early as possible, so I think this is an awesome solution to many of the potential problems board books or paper books sometimes present. Let your kiddo feel independent & handle these books to their lil' hearts' content!

http://www.indestructiblesinc.com/index.html

-M&M Momma