Multiple Mayhem!

Yay - It's Consignment Sale Season!

2010-03-11T20:27:00Z

Since they were babies I've been shopping for most of the kids clothes at consignment sales and I'm excited that consignment season is here again! I have also sold their outgrown clothing and toys at the Pensacola Parents of Multiples consignment sale every year until this one. I just haven't had time between sick kids and everything else to get ready for the sale this year, but I'm still looking forward to shopping the sale! Here are a few of the local consignment sales coming up this week and next - leave a comment if you see any I've missed!

March 9 - 13: http://mom2momsale.net/Florida/home.htm

March 16-20: http://mom2momsale.net/Alabama/home.htm

March 20: http://pensacolapom.org/

March 19-20: Kidz Klozet behind Wings Sports Grille, Mobile, Alabama (this is a new clothing sale event)

See you there! Happy shopping

Whoohoo - the Quads Got Into Pre-K!!

2010-03-06T00:23:00Z

I am STILL doing my happy dance! There were 25 applicants for the 18 available spots in the pre-k program at the school for this fall and I have REALLY been sweating it since for us it's all or nothing - if they only accepted three, or two then we couldn't send any of them. I am SO HAPPY to report that they all four got in - YEEHAW!!! Would it be terrible if I started counting down now?

500 Children's Books for $3 and Up at Walmart

2010-03-05T21:44:00Z

The Birmingham News reported that WalMart.com is celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday and the 13th annual Read Across America day by offering children's books for $3 and up with free shipping for the rest of the month. Get more details and a list of books at WalMart.com.

Free Dora the Explorer Game Download

2009-12-31T18:10:00Z

Click Here to download a free Dora the Explorer game when you register to receive updates on Nickelodeon Video downloads and other Nick, Jr. offers. Thanks to Robin at Pink Coupon Cafe for this tip!

And the Winner is.........

2009-12-24T07:11:00Z

Well I didn't win the sewing machine - but I DID win the Pilsbury Honey Biscuit giveaway over at I Heart Savings I am excited to have won two coupons for free cans of Honey Butter Biscuits along with a butter dish and knife. The last time I remember winning anything, I was about ten and actually drew my own name out of a hat during halftime at a basketball game, maybe my luck is changing. Thanks a bunch Michelle for the opportunity!

Extreme Sewing Contest Fun

2009-12-15T19:50:00Z

I wrote a post at the Sewing Business blog today about an Extreme Sewing Contest and it looked like so much fun that I just had to enter. The grand prize is a brand new Janome sewing machine and as you can see from these pictures my ancient, but much loved Bernina could use a rest. To enter the contest all you have to do is submit a picture of yourself "sewing" in an extreme location.

I've got four year old quadruplets, a five year old son, and not near enough sewing time so I figured if you can't beat'm, join'm!

My husband, the beekeeper, thought this was hilarious! Since I'm allergic to bees, it was definitely extreme sewing for me. Thank goodness it was a rainy day and all the bees were snug inside!

An Apology and Some Free Garnier Nutrisioniste Eye Cream

2009-11-03T16:57:00Z

Wow!! I can't believe that it's been almost two months since my last blog post. It's been even crazier here than usually lately since my mom (and huge help with childcare) was sick for about a month due to an allergic reaction from poison ivy, and I've been working on two big course construction projects. I've got one of them done, and the other is about half done so I thought I'd take a short break and come apologize to anyone who might have missed me I plan to do a much better job of keeping up for the rest of the year!

Also, I found out that WalMart is giving away free samples of Garnier Nutrisioniste eye cream (while supplies last) and I simply LOVE this stuff so I wanted to share. Just go to this page at WalMart and fill out your name and address so you can get your own free sample.

Butterfly Bushes Are Doing Their Job

2009-09-09T14:43:00Z

Last year we planted several butterfly bushes around the kids' play yard, and this spring we planted a bunch of cherry bushes on the other side of the play yard. Of course there's no way that cherry trees would do well in our southern climate, but these cherry bushes were supposed to be hardier and we had hoped to maybe have some cherries next year. Unfortunately, only one of them made it through the heatwave we had this summer, and I don't think we're going to get any cherries without at least two bushes for pollination. The good news is - the butterfly bushes are looking beautiful and are doing their job!

Project Tutorial: Snazzy New Laptop Case Handle

2009-09-01T18:03:00Z

I recently got one of those tiny netbook computers since I work mainly online, so that I can get online from anywhere without having to lug around a lot of equipment and now I don't how I ever lived without it Well I found this adorable hot pink case for it on eBay for cheap ($6 - it's awesome and has lots of pockets), but when it got here I HATED the strap. It was way too long, especially for such a small case, and when I tried adjusting it to shorten the length it became too bulky to carry comfortably.

I found some similar clips at Michael's and then had a great time trying to decide which ribbon I wanted to use. I really could've taken the original strap apart and used the those clips, but I decided to save the strap just in case I might need it at some future point.

I folded the original strap while it was still attached to the netbook case to figure out what length I wanted - I determined that I wanted the final length to be about 10", so I cut a 21" piece of the ribbon to allow for doubling and for a seam.

Next I laced the two clips through the ribbon, overlapped the ends 1/2", and stitched the ribbon closed so that it resembled a ring. Then I laid the strap out flat with the clips at either end, with the seam where I wanted it, and pinned it in place. The final step was to stitch within 1/8" of each long edge of the ribbon and across at each end to hold the clips in place.

I LOVE the new look and it's so much easier to carry now. Someone truly ambitious could even make a variety of different handles for their laptop or netbook case to suit every mood!

Jacob's Fifth Birthday Party

2009-08-27T01:29:00Z

We were very lucky that Jacob's cousins, Sarah Lynn and Mark, were able to make it to his birthday party - this is the first year that their annual trip from Korea came near his birthday. Our cousin Chris was also able to make it down from Pennsylvania and the kids were all happy that he got to come to the party too.

Of course I think they were more excited about our surprise guest, SpongeBob SquarePants! Jacob is a huge fan so we sent him an invitation quite awhile back, but we were all suprised that SpongeBob was able to make it A HUGE thanks to Aunt Diana for hooking us up with SpongeBob and for an awesome party, and to all the guests who gave Jacob a special day!!!

Project Tutorial: Easy Breezy No-Sew Shrug From A T-Shirt

2009-08-19T01:22:00Z

I saw someone wearing a similar version of this cute no-sew shrug, so it's not my original idea, but that shrug was made from an adorable, designer label t-shirt with a fancy finished collar and sleeves, while this one started out as a cheapo blank long-sleeved t-shirt that I got at the craft store for $3.

The first step was getting rid of the icky collar and cuffs, which I carefully cut off close to the stitch line and then stored in a sandwich bag for some future project.

Next I measured to find the center line of the shirt and drew in a chalk cutting line, I also drew in a bit of a V-neckline at the top by measuring three inches down the center line and three inches off the center along the neckline. For the tie strips I measured over two inches off the center line, and up ten inches from the hemline - which I later changed to nine inches as you can see from my chalk lines. I would recommend that you try on the shirt before doing any marking and figure out how short you want the final shirt to be, then mark it with chalk or a pin, so that you don't have to move the shirt around once you've got it nice and flat and have started marking.

The final step is to cut along the lines - you should cut the horizontal lines first, over to the mark for the ties, then along the outer tie lines up to the new hem, and then lift the ties to finish cutting the back hemline. Now you can lift the shirt if you want to finish cutting the centerline. There is no need to finish the edges since they won't unravel and they'll roll up quite nicely after washing. If I can find a pink long sleeved t-shirt, I might just go to the extra effort of finishing it with a lettuce edge using the serger.

It's been getting cool in the mornings and I've been LOVING having this shrug to throw on when I run my kindergartner to school. Unfortunately the hubby's been hiding all his shirts since I've been on the prowl for another that I can cut up and keep in the car for chilly days and the rare trip to Waffle House

Jacob's First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-11T17:33:00Z

Wow - our big boy is all grown up! Jacob started his first day of school yesterday and I'm so happy to report that he loved it! We've been a little concerned about how he would react to being away from us all day because he's never been in daycare or anything, all of his caregivers are relatives, and he's never been away from us for longer than a Sunday school class.

We've been working with him all summer long, making sure he can handle his own belts and buttons for bathroom breaks, letting him know that daddy and mommy will be dropping him off in the morning then leaving for work, but we'll back and waiting for him when he gets out in the afternoon.

Well, we both went together to take him on his first day and he was raring to go! We got out of the car in the parking lot at school and he says "give me my hug and kiss" then tries to take off and leave us there! We took all our pictures at home so we wouldn't embarrass him too much at school, but we darn sure weren't just dropping him off in the parking lot on the first day!

I took Jacob to an open house last week to meet the teacher and see his classroom, but even with all the preparation we weren't sure where he needed to go, so we walked him inside and he graciously allowed us to each hold a hand while he went bee bopping along, SpongeBob backpack just a bouncing. The teachers and school personnel were wonderful - on what has to be their longest, toughest day of the year they were all very patient with everyone and I'm not sure how we managed but all of a sudden we found ourselves back in the car without our baby, and he just didn't seem to mind at all when he said "see ya" and sorta waved bye as he disappeared down the hallway.

I don't know who was more nervous, Jacob, or Mommy, or Mamaw, or Nana.....but I know I spent the day kind of quietly freaking out, hoping he was doing okay and having a good time. I thought I was making it to the school early to pick him up (newbie mistake apparently) and ended up at the backend of a long line, worrying the whole time that he'd be able to find me. Of course all he wants to do when he jumps in the car is show me a new dance and sing a new song he learned. He had a wonderful day and is looking forward to going back tomorrow, whew, maybe tonight I'll be able to get some sleep

A Not So Friendly Neighbor

2009-08-04T19:40:00Z

On the way to our house we pass over about six miles of dirt roads through the woods and we often get to see all types of wildlife like wild turkeys, armadilloes, possums, deer galore and more than our fair share of snakes. My husband insisted that we stop to check out this huge rattlesnake on our way out the other day, of course we did that from the safety of the car. He took this picture with my cellphone and I readily admit to being too chicken to even lean out the window to take a peek.

We come across snakes sunning themselves in the road all the time since there's never much traffic back here, but usually they slither away pretty fast when they figure out that we're coming. This guy was in no big hurry to get out of the way, acted like we were annoying him. Actually waited for us to figure out how to get the cell-cam going, then finally got camera shy and crossed the road.

The hubby insists on driving around any living thing in the road (even the multitude of snakes) to the point of scaring me with the swerving at times. I'm not gonna say what I do when I come across them while I'm driving, but this big fella better look out if I'm on my own the next time I see him.

Get A Free Potty Training Kit From Pampers

2009-07-28T05:19:00Z

Thank goodness the kids are all completely potty trained, the diaper bill was killing us! Funny thing is, they've just turned it into a larger food bill Even though I'm happy we don't need it, I'm bummered that Pampers didn't offer this free potty training kit when we DID need it! Just go to the Pampers potty training kit page, fill in your mailing address, and they'll send you a sample of Easy Ups trainers, fun stickers and coloring pages, a progress chart, potty training tips, coupons and a Dora or Diego statue to reward your child's achievements.

Have Fun & Win Prizes in the 2009 Summer Activities Challenge

2009-07-22T04:15:00Z

Education.com is sponsoring the 2009 Summer Activities Challenge where families have a chance to win prizes while enjoying fun summertime activities with their kids.

All you have to do is sign up at Education.com and select 20 activities from over 1,000 fun projects listed on their website. Whenever you complete one of the activities you simply click the "we did this activity" button next to the project and that activity will automatically be added to your Challenge Progress page.

Every family that completes the challenge will get a personalized certificate of achievement and they will be entered to win one of 100 Lego mini creator sets, or the grand prize Dell Latitude 2100 notebook computer.

Every kid that participates will be a winner with great projects like paper making, creating outdoor stepping stones, and making a back to school calendar among many others!

Ryan & Angela Sitting In A Tree...

2009-07-14T18:52:00Z

It's been about a year since Ryan left us to go into the Army and we've all missed him terribly so we were thrilled when he was recently able to come and visit for a couple days. Ryan had told us not toooo long ago that he'd met a girl he was crazy about and they had gotten engaged. Well they took the opportunity on their way down to visit us to stop in and visit her family in South Carolina and get married along the way

We hadn't met Angela yet and I'll admit that we anxious to check her out! Well I got the opportunity to interview her and I'm happy to report that, even though it was a little belated, Angela passed with flying colors. They're such a cute couple, obviously very much in love, and Angela really seems to have a good head on her shoulders. She's warm, personable, and is trying to take good care of Ryan and we liked her very much!

Ryan tells us that they're both supposed to be shipped out within the next two weeks. They don't know yet where, or exactly when, or even if they'll be sent anywhere near each other since they're both enlisted, but they're ready to go and they're making the most of every minute until they have to leave. Congratulations Ryan and Angela!! We love you and miss you already

Triplet Gives Birth to Triplets

2009-07-10T21:58:00Z

A friend with twins forwarded me this article about a triplet who just gave birth to triplets. Amber Ali of Detroit, Michigan is one-third of a set of triplet girls, and she gave birth to boy triplets in May.

Amber told the local new station that she nearly passed out when she was told she was having triplets. That's the way we felt too - they told us for months it was triplets, then when they found our fourth baby we were literally speechless for at least an hour after we found out. Of course we wouldn't give them up for the world! Congratulations Amber!

Read more about Amber and her beautiful babies at AOL News.

Our Nocturnal Visitor

2009-07-07T15:04:00Z

We have a skink, a rather large lizard, that lives under the refrigerator in the garage. He scares the mess out of me occasionally, even though I know he's there, he'll catch me off guard and it seems I just can't help but let out a scream. We don't mind him sticking around because he eats bugs, apparently lots of them given his size, so he's just a little more welcome than they are.

Just recently we've started having a problem with the garbage that we store in bags in the garage until trash day. Something has been chewing through the bottom of the bags and strewing the garbage around, and my husband suggested that it might be the skink. Well, as hungry as that big fella must be, I don't think he all of a sudden took a liking to our garbage.

So, the other night, the hubby goes out to the garage to get something from the freezer and the HE lets out a big scream. Turns out our garbage bandit was a possum. The possum was either too blind (or too dumb) to be scared of us so he wouldn't leave and we never did get our ice cream that night. He did pose for a few pictures, and we have since learned to keep the garage door shut at night!

Introducing the New Face Of.......

2009-07-01T06:43:00Z

Unsupervised!

Can't turn your back in the bathroom for a second

Heat Waves And Haircuts

2009-06-29T06:39:16Z

Wow - the heat wave here in Lower Alabama has been unbearable! Within seconds of stepping outside your clothes are already sticking to you and the gnats are driving you crazy. It's been so bad that we were finally able to talk the little boys, Brandon and Zachary, into getting a buzz cut like daddy. They were terribly sweet afterwards, asking everyone to feel their heads, then telling them not to mess their hair up

We gave the boys their buzz cuts while Jacob was gone because he HATES haircuts, so bad that we've resorted (more than once) to cutting his hair while he sleeps, and we didn't want him to be a buzz kill. Well as soon as he got back home and saw the boys hair, he decided he needed his done too! I still can't believe he let me finish - I think the only reason he let me start at all was because the boys told him it tickled. Hey, whatever it takes! And even though I kinda miss their hair, they do look adorable.