(Photo taken at the ball game with my beautiful new Nikon 50mm f/1.8D lens)
11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven
Showing posts with label to raise a toddler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label to raise a toddler. Show all posts
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Teeter Totter Time!
...courtesy of John, who had the teeter totter installed in the kids' play place while we were out of town. Thanks, John! You're the best.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Some days there's so much laundry....
...that you just can't do any more...
And sometimes you get made fun of because you just have to give up...
I hope his day is better tomorrow.
And sometimes you get made fun of because you just have to give up...
I hope his day is better tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Developmental Stage I've Been Longing For.... (Or Not?)
As most of you know, I've dreamed of having twins since the time I first conceived over 21 years ago. With every pregnancy I was always disappointed when the ultrasound results came back with only a solo embryo in my uterus. So, you can imagine my elation 3 years ago, when, as my Mexican doctor was rubbing the ultrasound wand (that's what I'm calling it) over the slippery gel on my belly, he paused and said, "Creo que hay dos," which, being translated, means, "I think there are two." Fifteen agonizing minutes later, he finally pointed to the screen to show me two tiny black and white hearts beating simultaneously.
Having twins has been everything I thought it would be, and more. The first year was grueling though, and I often had to remind myself that "this, too, shall pass". As most of you know, the baby phase isn't my favorite, and having two babies at the same time was physically the most difficult thing I've ever done. I remember fantasizing about how easy my life was going to be once they turned three, which is one of my favorite ages.
I can't believe how fast the time has gone. The twins will celebrate their third birthday in a little over two months. They can talk (if you can call twin-talk talking), so the screaming and back-biting (literally) have decreased somewhat. They can turn on the TV and push play, so even if I'm nursing Baby Hippo, they can entertain themselves for a while without assistance. And if I bribe them with gummy Vitamin C, they will even run to their cribs on their own and hop in.
Yes, my life is easier, and I never thought I'd say this, but there are some things I miss about the twins not being babies anymore. Just today, I gave away one of their high chairs. Having two high chairs lined up together for more than two years...
(Just so you know, I did NOT balance that cake with burning flames between their two high chairs. I just snapped the shot, which is actually no better than having balanced it myself. At least THEY seemed to realize the precariousness of their situation.)
...always gave me such a good, twinny feeling inside. Seeing just one, which Baby Hippo now uses, makes me a little nostalgic.
And if the twins growing up wasn't enough, Baby Hippo will soon be rolling over (don't ask me why he hasn't yet) and when that happens, he will leave our bed and inherit the 4-year-old boy's crib which has been converted to a toddler bed, soon to have the side rail reattached. Which leaves another question unanswered. Where do we put the 4-year-old boy? Do we start scouring the internet for futon bunk beds and buy one to put in the 10-year-old boy's bedroom for them to share? Or do I give him the 10-year-old boy's bedroom altogether, let the 10-year-old boy have the 14-year-old boy's room, and move the 14-year-old boy to the now moved-out 18-year-old boy's room?
Sometimes I think it's easy when kids start to grow up, but sometimes it just adds more confusion to my life.
Even so, I still love it that the twins can now push play.
Thanks for listening!
Having twins has been everything I thought it would be, and more. The first year was grueling though, and I often had to remind myself that "this, too, shall pass". As most of you know, the baby phase isn't my favorite, and having two babies at the same time was physically the most difficult thing I've ever done. I remember fantasizing about how easy my life was going to be once they turned three, which is one of my favorite ages.
I can't believe how fast the time has gone. The twins will celebrate their third birthday in a little over two months. They can talk (if you can call twin-talk talking), so the screaming and back-biting (literally) have decreased somewhat. They can turn on the TV and push play, so even if I'm nursing Baby Hippo, they can entertain themselves for a while without assistance. And if I bribe them with gummy Vitamin C, they will even run to their cribs on their own and hop in.
Yes, my life is easier, and I never thought I'd say this, but there are some things I miss about the twins not being babies anymore. Just today, I gave away one of their high chairs. Having two high chairs lined up together for more than two years...
(Just so you know, I did NOT balance that cake with burning flames between their two high chairs. I just snapped the shot, which is actually no better than having balanced it myself. At least THEY seemed to realize the precariousness of their situation.)
...always gave me such a good, twinny feeling inside. Seeing just one, which Baby Hippo now uses, makes me a little nostalgic.
And if the twins growing up wasn't enough, Baby Hippo will soon be rolling over (don't ask me why he hasn't yet) and when that happens, he will leave our bed and inherit the 4-year-old boy's crib which has been converted to a toddler bed, soon to have the side rail reattached. Which leaves another question unanswered. Where do we put the 4-year-old boy? Do we start scouring the internet for futon bunk beds and buy one to put in the 10-year-old boy's bedroom for them to share? Or do I give him the 10-year-old boy's bedroom altogether, let the 10-year-old boy have the 14-year-old boy's room, and move the 14-year-old boy to the now moved-out 18-year-old boy's room?
Sometimes I think it's easy when kids start to grow up, but sometimes it just adds more confusion to my life.
Even so, I still love it that the twins can now push play.
Thanks for listening!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
How to make a toddler eat a cookie in 21 bites
Whenever I have a great idea, I feel compelled to share. Yeah, that's just the kind of girl I am.
So this morning at snack time, I decided to give each of the twins one of the chocolate chip cookies the 15-year-old girl had made the night before. They were quite large, so I didn't want to give them more than one, but I knew that if I just handed each of them a cookie, they would shove them into their mouths as quick as they could, then start crying "Moe Cookie!"
This I wasn't going to tolerate. That's when the idea hit me. I would place the cookie on a cutting board, like so...
....then cut it into little tiny pieces with a steak knife, like so...
...then put the little tiny pieces in a little tiny stainless steel bowl (we have tons of these and I don't know why)...
...and they would think that they were getting 21 cookies instead of just one. This worked very well. They were super-excited about getting their stainless steel bowl full of cookie pieces and eating them one by one, and by the time they were finished, yes, they did ask for more, but I told them that that we were "all done cookies", but that they could have some bananas instead. So I cut up the banana into tiny pieces and put those in their stainless steel bowls as well.
I think this tactic would also work well for those of us who are trying to lose weight. I'm pretty sure I would savor 21 cookie pieces a lot more if I sat down with them in a stainless steel bowl, than if I shoved one whole cookie into my mouth as I'm walking by the counter on my way to take the kids to school. I'm going to try it tomorrow. Or I could just not eat the cookie at all. We'll see.
Your welcome.
Today on life in mexico {and other places} a picture a day: {oh, the humanity}
So this morning at snack time, I decided to give each of the twins one of the chocolate chip cookies the 15-year-old girl had made the night before. They were quite large, so I didn't want to give them more than one, but I knew that if I just handed each of them a cookie, they would shove them into their mouths as quick as they could, then start crying "Moe Cookie!"
This I wasn't going to tolerate. That's when the idea hit me. I would place the cookie on a cutting board, like so...
....then cut it into little tiny pieces with a steak knife, like so...
...then put the little tiny pieces in a little tiny stainless steel bowl (we have tons of these and I don't know why)...
...and they would think that they were getting 21 cookies instead of just one. This worked very well. They were super-excited about getting their stainless steel bowl full of cookie pieces and eating them one by one, and by the time they were finished, yes, they did ask for more, but I told them that that we were "all done cookies", but that they could have some bananas instead. So I cut up the banana into tiny pieces and put those in their stainless steel bowls as well.
I think this tactic would also work well for those of us who are trying to lose weight. I'm pretty sure I would savor 21 cookie pieces a lot more if I sat down with them in a stainless steel bowl, than if I shoved one whole cookie into my mouth as I'm walking by the counter on my way to take the kids to school. I'm going to try it tomorrow. Or I could just not eat the cookie at all. We'll see.
Your welcome.
Today on life in mexico {and other places} a picture a day: {oh, the humanity}
Thursday, March 25, 2010
My First Day Alone With the 4 Under 4, in Pictures
Note: Please imagine all of these events intermittently sprinkled with innumerable breast feedings, diaper changings, and umbilical cord alcohol swabbings throughout the day...
Yesterday was my first day alone as a mother of ten. Here's how it went...
The first thing I did was miss scripture study at 6:45 AM. John was out of town, so I did the night-time thing alone. The 3-year-old boy got up twice to go to the bathroom, and of course, he needed my help, although during waking hours he doesn't, Twin B woke up to have his covers put back on, and the newborn woke up too many times to count to nurse. That, in and of itself, would have been manageable, as I nurse him in bed with me and quickly go back to sleep, but having to get up with all of the other kids made for a busy night.
Although I did miss scripture study, I was pleased that the 5 oldest kids did it without me. I hope they learned something.
While the kids got ready for school, I worked in the kitchen and the newborn slept in the bassinet play yard we set up in the kitchen living area...
He slept until it was time to take the little kids to school. I had always wondered how I would do the trip to the school. I had thought I would have to make two trips from the car back into the house after dropping the kids off, and that is just what I did. I went inside and again placed the newborn in his bassinet, then went back outside to the car to get the 3 three and under. Twin A didn't put up too much resistance...
...but Twin B had a different idea. He would not come forward from the 3rd row of seats...
...nor would he come forward from the fifth row of seats...
I finally had to enter into the depths of the van and retrieve him manually.
Next, I changed the twins into clean diapers and clean sleepers. If you are wondering why I didn't get regular clothes on them, you can click HERE for an explanation.
Twin A then spent some time making a track out of the wet wipe bags that were left out...
...which was fine, because as you'll see later, these, along with the diapers, kept the twins occupied from some time.
Next we had snack time. I let the twins peel their own clementines, as this is one of their all-time favorite activities, thinking that if I placed napkins on the table, they would contain their peels to those...
Didn't work...
Next, I finished cleaning the breakfast mess while the newborn slept...
...and the twins continued their wet wipe engineering feats...
...and the 3-year-old continued with his diaper box engineering feats...
The diaper boxes, however, did not keep the 3-year-old entertained for long, so he made the decision to get out hand-fulls of grated cheddar cheese from the fridge, which spilled all over the floor, which the twins found easier to lick up off the floor then pick up with their hands...
(I promise I only let them do this for about 5 seconds longer than I would have to get this shot...)
I was quite upset with the 3-year-old boy for making this mess, so I told him he had to clean it up. You can see how effective he was...
Twin B also thought he would help, showing equal effectiveness...
After cleaning up the mess myself, I made time to put on my makeup...
(Dang I have a lot of neck wrinkles and am starting to look like I'm 40.)
...and did a little bit of laundry, after which lunch time finally rolled around. I was blessed that someone from church brought over a pot of beans, and I sprinkled the grated cheese over it and served it along with tortilla wedges...
After all of the kids went back to school, the 3-year-old boy talked to the newborn...
...while I, again, cleaned the kitchen...
Next came my favorite time of day. Nap time! After placing the 3-year-old boy and the twins in their cribs, reading them stories, getting them water and saying a prayer, it was time to place the newborn in his co-sleeper...
...and eat lunch myself. For some reason, I fancied a bowl of oatmeal with lots of butter...
After my oatmeal was finished, I took a nap for an hour and a half, as the newborn slept for two hours. Someone must have said a prayer for me because of the cosmic event of all 4 under 4 sleeping at the same for two hours.
When I awoke, I sent the 15-year-old girl to be the mother of the 9-year-old boy for his pack meeting/homemade kite-flying contest...
...and while they were gone, the 18-year-old boy initiated a grilled chicken dinner....
...during which time I helped the 13-year-old boy with math...
When the kids returned home from the pack meeting, I had all of them eat dinner, reminded everyone to clean their assigned dinner chores, reminded them to do their pre-bedtime chores, watched part of Pirates of the Caribbean with them, said our prayers, again placed the 3 three and under in their cribs, read them stories, gave them water, said prayers, and turned off their lights.
Over all, disregarding experiencing the baby blues at the end of the day because my husband wasn't a good enough conversationalist on the phone at 11:00 at night just because he got up at 3:30 in the morning, it was a good day, and easier than I would have imagined it would be. Thanks for listening. :)
On 365 Days of TV-Free Toddler Time today:
It's Cereal and Pipe Cleaner Time! Click the pic to see.
On life in mexico {and other places} a picture a day today:
{a bonfire}
Yesterday was my first day alone as a mother of ten. Here's how it went...
The first thing I did was miss scripture study at 6:45 AM. John was out of town, so I did the night-time thing alone. The 3-year-old boy got up twice to go to the bathroom, and of course, he needed my help, although during waking hours he doesn't, Twin B woke up to have his covers put back on, and the newborn woke up too many times to count to nurse. That, in and of itself, would have been manageable, as I nurse him in bed with me and quickly go back to sleep, but having to get up with all of the other kids made for a busy night.
Although I did miss scripture study, I was pleased that the 5 oldest kids did it without me. I hope they learned something.
While the kids got ready for school, I worked in the kitchen and the newborn slept in the bassinet play yard we set up in the kitchen living area...
He slept until it was time to take the little kids to school. I had always wondered how I would do the trip to the school. I had thought I would have to make two trips from the car back into the house after dropping the kids off, and that is just what I did. I went inside and again placed the newborn in his bassinet, then went back outside to the car to get the 3 three and under. Twin A didn't put up too much resistance...
...but Twin B had a different idea. He would not come forward from the 3rd row of seats...
...nor would he come forward from the fifth row of seats...
I finally had to enter into the depths of the van and retrieve him manually.
Next, I changed the twins into clean diapers and clean sleepers. If you are wondering why I didn't get regular clothes on them, you can click HERE for an explanation.
Twin A then spent some time making a track out of the wet wipe bags that were left out...
...which was fine, because as you'll see later, these, along with the diapers, kept the twins occupied from some time.
Next we had snack time. I let the twins peel their own clementines, as this is one of their all-time favorite activities, thinking that if I placed napkins on the table, they would contain their peels to those...
Didn't work...
Next, I finished cleaning the breakfast mess while the newborn slept...
...and the twins continued their wet wipe engineering feats...
...and the 3-year-old continued with his diaper box engineering feats...
The diaper boxes, however, did not keep the 3-year-old entertained for long, so he made the decision to get out hand-fulls of grated cheddar cheese from the fridge, which spilled all over the floor, which the twins found easier to lick up off the floor then pick up with their hands...
(I promise I only let them do this for about 5 seconds longer than I would have to get this shot...)
I was quite upset with the 3-year-old boy for making this mess, so I told him he had to clean it up. You can see how effective he was...
Twin B also thought he would help, showing equal effectiveness...
After cleaning up the mess myself, I made time to put on my makeup...
(Dang I have a lot of neck wrinkles and am starting to look like I'm 40.)
...and did a little bit of laundry, after which lunch time finally rolled around. I was blessed that someone from church brought over a pot of beans, and I sprinkled the grated cheese over it and served it along with tortilla wedges...
After all of the kids went back to school, the 3-year-old boy talked to the newborn...
...while I, again, cleaned the kitchen...
Next came my favorite time of day. Nap time! After placing the 3-year-old boy and the twins in their cribs, reading them stories, getting them water and saying a prayer, it was time to place the newborn in his co-sleeper...
...and eat lunch myself. For some reason, I fancied a bowl of oatmeal with lots of butter...
After my oatmeal was finished, I took a nap for an hour and a half, as the newborn slept for two hours. Someone must have said a prayer for me because of the cosmic event of all 4 under 4 sleeping at the same for two hours.
When I awoke, I sent the 15-year-old girl to be the mother of the 9-year-old boy for his pack meeting/homemade kite-flying contest...
...and while they were gone, the 18-year-old boy initiated a grilled chicken dinner....
...during which time I helped the 13-year-old boy with math...
When the kids returned home from the pack meeting, I had all of them eat dinner, reminded everyone to clean their assigned dinner chores, reminded them to do their pre-bedtime chores, watched part of Pirates of the Caribbean with them, said our prayers, again placed the 3 three and under in their cribs, read them stories, gave them water, said prayers, and turned off their lights.
Over all, disregarding experiencing the baby blues at the end of the day because my husband wasn't a good enough conversationalist on the phone at 11:00 at night just because he got up at 3:30 in the morning, it was a good day, and easier than I would have imagined it would be. Thanks for listening. :)
On 365 Days of TV-Free Toddler Time today:
It's Cereal and Pipe Cleaner Time! Click the pic to see.
On life in mexico {and other places} a picture a day today:
{a bonfire}
In This Post...
to raise a LARGE family,
to raise a toddler,
to raise grade-schoolers,
to raise teen,
to raise twins
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