Somehow Peter Rabbit snuck into our garden a few nights ago, even though we have a raised bed surrounded by chicken wire. The little furry pest ate one entire row and a half of green beans, all of the cucumber plants but one, and trampled the peas.
I looked up a natural deterrent for rabbits while Brad and I were out the other night and found out that rabbits are skittish and can be temporarily scared off by a rubber snake.
We were lacking in the rubber snake department, but we had plenty of dinosaurs to spare, and believe it or not, they’ve done the trick! They’ve guarded our garden quite nicely until Brad had an opportunity to put another layer of tinier holed chicken wire up. They might have just earned their way out of the toy box for the summer.
I came across some of our Walt Disney World Videos last night. Ahhhh, the memories. Several of you asked for Trip Planning, Packing, and Executing ideas after we came home,and at the time I was overwhelmed with this endless load. So now that we’ve conquered potty training(insert angels singing) I might get around to sharing a little of how we survived a 32 hour road trip with quadruplets.
Go enter so you can have your own picture like this, (minus the quad stroller, of course):
So Before You “Hit the Road, Jack”, Here Are A Few Safety Tips We’ve Learned:
* Check Your Carseats – Make sure they are appropriate for your child’s age/height/weight. Rear facing until your child has reached the stated limits. Your local fire department is a great place to check with to make sure you are “good to go”. (Shout out to Barb Carrier who has been our AAA car seat guru from the beginning.)
* Get a Tune-Up for Your Vehicle – Have you local mechanic make sure your vehicle is running well or you might end up like us on our first road trip.
* Sleep the Night Before – A good nights sleep will get you further down the road the next day, and your be easier to get along with on the trip too!
* Keep Your Little Travelers Occupied – This helps cut down on driver distractions. Things that worked for us: dollar toys, CDs, DVDs (A portable DVD player is worth every penny!), talking about the scenery, counting down each state, and lots of snacks!
* Know Your Driving Limits – Take a break every few hours and always stop before you hit your driving wall, even though it may be tempting to keep driving to meet your destination
* Check in with Family Members Along The Way – Let them know your progress and where you’re staying along the route, along with numbers where they can reach you. (Trust me, your mom will sleep better hearing that you are safe. Right, mom?)
And don’t forget to make memories along the way that you’ll laugh at later.
Mother’s of preschoolers, regardless of party affiliation, know that President Obama was borrowing his famous “Yes We Can” campaign line from Bob the Builder.
In which Bob asks,
Can We Fix It?
To which the machinery responds:
Yes, We Can!
We were inspired by Bob’s “Yes We Can'” spirit in our potty training endeavors. And to celebrate our “Yes We Did!!!!!”, we went diaperless AND strollerless to The Children’s Museum to visit the Bob the Builder Exhibit.
Bob and his friends did not disappoint. We had a grand time and checked out most of the museum before heading home.
I always said I would write down some of the funny things that my kids would say so that I could remember them, and laugh at them later. So many have passed with a few good chuckles, but I can’t retell them to save my life.
So here’s a few of the latest off the top of my head that you might get a giggle from…
~ The other day Brooks wiped out while visiting my parents, he was bleeding and before I could even get to him, Isaac announces unsympathetically, “He’s FINE.”
~ We arrived at church a little early (pats self on back) and there weren’t any kids (besides us) in the class yet. One of them makes a comment about there not being any kids yet, and I told them there were 4 kids already here (meaning them). Henry exclaims, “I’m not a kid! I’m a BROTHER.”
~ Henry informed me twice tonight that I was a “big girl with a big bottom”. (Just what a girl wants to hear!)
~ One of them (who shall remain nameless for now) saw my bra and asked me what it was. It caught me completely off guard so I just told him with no explanation that it was a bra. He then put both of his arms way up in the air and says, “When I get big….really really big. I’m gonna wear, I’m gonna wear a….. DRAWL!”
The BEST by far though are the spontaneous expressions of affections. I never get tired of the multiple “I love you’s” and calling me “buddy” or things like “Have a good day, Mama”.
Soaking it up now.
And writing it down for later.
What have you heard out of the mouth of your little one(s) lately?
“the Giant Armadillo grows up to 1.5 m (5 ft) and weighs 59 kg (130 lbs)”
Ballpark.
There’s more…
“In the United States, the sole resident armadillo is the Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), which is most common in the central southernmost states, particularly Texas. Their range is as far east as South Carolina and Florida and as far north as Nebraska; they have been consistently expanding their range over the last century due to a lack of natural predators and have been found as far north as Illinois, INDIANA, and southern Ontario.”
They’ve spotted me.
“Armadillos have poor vision.”
Indeed.
“When threatened by a predator, Tolypeutes species frequently roll up into a ball.”
Sometimes.
“Armadillos have short legs but can move quite quickly”
Quite. Thank you.
“…it inflates its stomach and intestines with air”
It appears so.
“Armadillos are solitary animals that do not share their burrows with other adults.”
So what are they calling my husband?
But here’s the REAL kicker:
“Armadillos have FOUR BABIES at a time and they are always the SAME SEX.” (According to Snapple Real Fact #745)
Good Grief! Seems I’m destined to become Road Kill!
Until we meet on the side of the road,
PS Thanks to my friend Julie, for passing along her Snapple cap to inspire this post!
I’d planned on blogging our progress on potty training as it unfolded, but by the end of the day I’ve been completely “wiped out”. Teaching 4 BOYS to use the potty has been no small task. This transition has tested our patience and worn us out in a way that we haven’t experienced since the newborn stage.
All that considered we’re over a week in now and making really great progress. #1 is Done! And #2 is getting there…(naps and 1st thing in the morning are the only thing keeping us from getting it completely).
However, I’m all about sharing our own personal experience and offering what has worked/failed for us. The greatest thing I’ve learned so far, is ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING. Stress, impatience, frustration are all extremely contagious to your entire family. Likewise a positive attitude can have a huge impact on your progress. Celebrate every little success. Jump up and Down. Sing a Song. Scream and Yell. Do the Potty Dance. Make an absolute fool out of yourself. (See video>) I think encouragement holds more motivational power than any tricket, sticker, or piece of candy.
Here’s how it’s all went down so far:
Pre-Booty Camp
A few days before we went all out on Booty Camp ‘10, we got the potty chairs out. Talked up the “big boy” theory. Had them try first thing in the morning and before bed, and other times if they showed interest. They were able to pick out their own underwear at the store.
Day 1
Goodbye to Diapers during the day. They wore underwear around the house all day. If they had 2 accidents they had to go back to diapers until they kept them dry for a stretch of time. We hunkered down, watched a couple of movies (including Elmo's Potty Time) and everyone tried to use the potty every 20-30 minutes. Talk about an exhausting day! We introduced M&Ms or Starburst Jelly Beans for successful attempts along with noisy exaggerated celebrations. We made it to 11:30 am without an accident. There were a handful of messes throughout the day, but we were encouraged to get started and have some success on the first day.
Here’s some of the video footage (non-graphic) from our first day of “Booty Camp”:
That’s about all the “potty talk” I have in me for the day…
Thanks for your encouragement, prayers, and well wishes during this major milestone!
Get your party dress (or comfy PJs) on! Grab a cupcake! Turn up the tunes!
This week (April 9th-16th) I’m participating in the “Ultimate Blog Party” over at 5minutesformom.com. You’ve heard me talk about my twin blogger friends before, and this week they are throwing a huge PARTY for bloggers and their readers. It’s a great way to connect with other bloggers, build friendships, encourage one another through comments, and there’s crazy awesome giveaways too! Join us!
It’s also another opportunity for me to thank YOU as readers! You have faithfully supported and loved on our family through this journey. This blog would be an empty space without you. Thank you for being our family behind the computer screen for over 3 years!
If you are just joining us from the UBP, HUGE VIRTUAL HUGS from me, QuatroMama! I’m tickled that you’ve stopped by and would love to have you along for the ride! 4tunate is a blog about the adventures, joys, challenges, and bloopers in raising our quadruplet boys, Henry, Isaac, Brooks, and Clark. Blogging began as a way to efficiently communicate our prayer requests and doctor appointment updates during our extremely uncertain high-risk pregnancy and has “multiplied” into something so much more!
Here’s a little video to give you a little more “up close” introduction to the family!
Be sure to introduce yourself and your blog (if you have one) in the comment section of this post.I’d love to see what you’re up to! And if you would like to follow our adventures feel free to subscribe to our feed and/or follow me on twitter. There’s even a 4tunate Facebook Fan Page, if you are so inclined. =)
I’m also fighting for this amazing cause right now that I’d love for you to check out!
And for an added GIVEAWAY Bonus:
To add to the party fun, I want to introduce you to some of my blogging friends! There are nine of us who each have a word hidden in their post. These nine words make up a sentence. We will each link you up to the lady who has the next word in the sentence—but keep in mind that I might not have the first word in the sentence! Once you have the sentence, e-mail it to sisterchickies@gmail.com with "UBP10" in the subject line. Each person with the correct sentence will be in a drawing to win a $40 Target gift card! Winner will be announced on all of our blogs April 19 and the winner will be e-mailed. The winner has 48 hours to respond or we'll pick someone else.
(Disclaimer: Some of us are slower than others, but we will all have our posts up by noon EDT on Friday, April 9.)
The toilets/tubs/sinks/countertops are begging for a wipe down.
There’s dust with doodle lines covering the furniture.
The neutral carpet looks more like a multi-color berber.
The laundry has taken a permanent residence in almost every room.
There’s a long running To Do List that’s been untouched.
For over a week now, our housekeeper has been on hiatus. No effort. No show.
It’s time to cut our ties and give her the boot.
It’s Time to Fire Our Housekeeper.
Oh wait a minute…
That would be ME.
*Ahem*
Never the mind.
Carry on! Carry on!
We will continue to do the all-consuming potty training(more like “stinkie training”) with the little dudes while you resume your previous activities. =)
I honestly have a handful of things to announce/update/share with you all, but my fridge is dying to have something in it to keep cold. Off to the grocery for now! Come back soon for some exciting things ahead!
After 2 days of exhausting all-out potty training with the quads, Brad and I were completely THROUGH! We turned our boys over to the Potty Whisperer Service and set out for a relaxing tropical retreat! Although, we miss the boys tremendously; they are in wonderful hands, and our families are just a phone call away. And how nice will it be to return to 4 completely potty trained and independent boys!!! Did I mention they also deep clean your house while you’re away?
Potty training quadruplets might turn out to be the hardest thing we’ve encountered since midnight/3 am/6 am feedings! However, we’re determined to stay positive, make the best of it, and laugh at ourselves along the way! Wanna join us?
We are attempting to train all 4 boys at the same time, but first we needed the ultimate motivator:
UNDERWEAR!
This is “The Booty Camp Video Diaries, Part I” of most likely a several volume series.
I thought I was at least part human, but turns out I’m pure Armadillo.
The toilets/tubs/sinks/countertops are begging for a wipe down. 
