Raise your hand if you’re guilty of using your phone to entertain your little ones while in a bind.
You know…
The doctor’s office, waiting in line, or when you just can’t take the whining any longer.
Guilty as charged.
Besides using it as a distraction device, my Samsung Moment has honestly helped me as a mom.
Check out my post over at Makes Quads Happy and I’ll show you how it helps my productivity AND you could win a $300 Visa Gift Card!
Hurry! Every “Moment” Counts!
I hesitated to blog about our upcoming trip to BlogHer '09 in Chicago, because when planning a trip with quads in tow, nothing is guaranteed. However, it looks like we will be leaving later this week for a major Quadyssey! Hopefully we can cram 4 pea pod tents into our downtown hotel, and won't be kicked out due to a noise violation! (But I have hope after seeing how the Goerlich's and Steece's managed over the weekend with 8 toddlers in one hotel room!)
This has all come together last minute, because I won a ticket to BlogHer through a Ford giveaway. I've never went before, and have no idea what to expect. (Apparently it's protocol to freak about before going, but I'm resisting.) I'm really looking forward to meeting many of you IRL (in real life) who will be in attendance. Please leave me a comment if you'll be one of the 1500 bloggers headed to the Windy City - I'd love to arrange a time to meet!
One event that I've been asked to be a part of while there, is the Ford Drive and Ride, where I will be touring the plant, testing out vehicles, and participating in a round table to tell Ford what women want in a vehicle.
Here's some things I look for a vehicle:
So here's your chance to influence the future of transportation. Tell me what you want in a vehicle and I'll be sure to pass it along in our discussion!
Back to packing for the whole crew!
BQ (Before Quads) I envisioned tucking my little one into bed for the night by saying a prayer, giving a kiss goodnight, and perhaps reading a bedtime story.
Peaceful, Warm, Tender Moments.
Step into our reality and it resembles mayhem, a 20 minute chaos that leaves us breathless and spinning. A routine that includes hugs, kisses, stuffed animal swapping, jumping, joyful shouting, tears, songs with hand motions (Oh how I love a man who is secure enough in his masculinity to do hand motions!), and other various performances.
Here's a sampling of our "Bedtime Greatest Hits". (I'll have to check with itunes to see when these will be available for downloading. *wink*)
Side Note: I converted this video to black and white to reduce the symptoms of motion sickness while watching this clip.
It's not exactly the bedtime routine that I pictured, but treasured moments, nonetheless.
Is your nightly routine mayhem or a soothing bliss? What are some ways that you keep it concise and peaceful?
PS Speaking of "Mayhem", you have ONE MORE DAY to enter the Smartfood $100 Visa Giveaway! $100 dollars could buy a lot of bedtime stuffed animals! Simply leave me a comment over on my review blog for your chance at winning!
Although I would have loved to post on Meals, Mayhem, and Miracles all in one post, (as many of you requested via twitter) I'm a woman not a machine!
So I'll break this up into 3 Parts....
Let's start with MEALS. I'll be dedicating a specific post to Meal Planning/Grocery $$$ Saving soon, but for now, I'll show you my meal plan for the week. I like to plan meals for 2 weeks and then make a mega grocery run for all the ingredients I'll need for each meal. Granted, I have to make short grocery runs for milk, bananas, bread, or something I forgot off my list, but the majority of it is completed in one trip!
So here's a look at this week's menu:
Monday - Italian Beef, Mac and Cheese, Green Beans
Tuesday - BBQ Chicken on the Grill with Veggies
Wednesday - Tacos and All the Fixin's
Thursday - Grilled Panini Sandwiches with a Garden Salad
Friday - Homemade Hawaiian Pizza and a Side
On Saturdays and Sundays our schedule is a little more unpredictable, so we feast on leftovers, easy last-minute ideas, or we help stimulate the economy by supporting some of our favorite eating joints!
If you have trouble coming up with meal ideas as I do (just ask quatro daddy), you should check out Organizing Junkie's Meal Plan Mondays for some great menu ideas!
And since many of you so kindly demanded requested the recipe for the Italian Beef that's currently filling my house with the smell of goodness,
Here You Have It:
Slow-Cooked Italian Beef
1 Rump Roast (about 2 lbs is a nice size for this recipe)
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of the following: garlic powder, parsley, basil, oregano, salt
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Shred beef and serve on hoagie buns!
As for what I'll be drinking for the weeks to come, you'll need to head on over to my review blog to find out what delicious healthy change I'm making! See you over there!
That's right, Readers. I have another giveaway to reward you with over on my review blog! This time it's in the form of a $100 Visa Gift Card, courtesy of BlogHer and SmartFood. Go forth and comment!
I just wanted to remind you folks that you've got just a few more days to enter the Snapfish $50 gift card giveaway over at www.makesquadshappy.blogspot.com! Just leave me a comment over there telling me about your favorite photographed memory of your father. Right now, you have a 1/118 chance of winning, which is a pretty good shot!
However, the "odds" are not currently in our favor at the Murray Casa. 2/4 boys are sick with a nasty tummy bug. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say the Easter buckets are NEVER going to be used for collecting Easter eggs again! Would you join us in praying that this illness would be short and that the other 2 and their parents would be spared from this one? We have an EXCITING end of the week planned (that I can't wait to share), and we'd LOVE to be healthy enough to take it all in! It sounds like a selfish prayer to pray, but I've been learning a lot about prayer and praying for one another. I used to feel guilty to ask for prayer for myself, but it is a great way we can love one another. God longs to communicate with us, and know our hearts desires. So I'm not going to be ashamed to ask you to pray for us, as you so faithfully have through our journey!
Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Hebrews 4:16 "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
PS I would consider it a privilege to pray for you as well, so leave a comment below if there's a request you would like to share or email me at (quatro_mama at yahoo dot com).
1. Lindsay, from Suburban Turmoil contacted me a few weeks back and asked if they could feature our "Videos of a Venturous Vacation" in a Blogher Backtalk Episode on Family Vacations. Grrrrrrreat, I appear on the internet for all to see, makeup-less, sweaty, worn, and drenched. Keeps me humble, right? (Our clip starts at minute marker 3:49, fyi.) Thanks for allowing me to laugh at myself again, Lindsay!
2. Your comments on THIS post have been a much needed pick-me-up this week! It's been wonderful to hear from so many of you. What a true encouragement you are to our family!
3. My graphic designer (aka husband) updated our blog header this afternoon, so if you are a "subscriber" and not a "clickover", you better come on over, check it out, and tell me whatchathink. ("Whatchathink" = Japanese for What You Think. Okay, not really, but it could be...)
4. There's still time to enter to win a $50 gift card to Snapfish, just by commenting on my review blog. Free money, people!
5. Lastly, I want to welcome my biggest blog fan to the internet: My very own Mama! Until recently, she's always had to hear what's on our blog second hand, or by catching up on weeks worth of posts while she's visiting, Welcome to the World Wide Web, Mom (and Dad since you're probably reading over Mom's shoulder)! I admire your ambition in learning a new skill at the "young age" of ##. (Now I wouldn't sell out my own mother's age all over the internet,...Would I???) Your secret "senior age" is safe with me, Mom! I can never thank you enough for the ways you pour into our lives and love on our family!
Oh and did I mention you can WIN a $50 Gift Card to Snapfish just by leaving a comment there?
Head over to http://makesquadshappy.blogspot.com for more details!
Finally, I can let you in on the BIG giveaway! I'm giving away a Wireless HP Photosmart C6380 All-in-One printer, thanks to BlogHer and HP! How excitingly awesome is that????
Head on over to my review blog for your chance at winning! Come one, come all!
(I'm turning off the comments on this post, because you'll need to leave a comment HERE in order to participate!)
To grab button, copy text below:
PostRank Topblogs 2009 - Engagement Award
