Before You Hit the Road, Jack

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.

A special thanks to Purolator Cabin Air Filters who allowed me to team up with them for this post. They are hosting a sweepstakes at Parents where you as readers can enter to win a trip for 4 to Walt Disney World in the Purolator BreathEasy Sweepstakes!

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.

Fighting Hunger Right Where You Live

It’s been such a privilege to have a part in the “Child Hunger Ends Here” campaign with ConAgra and Feeding America.  It’s encouraging to know that even my small role in this combined rally can change the hunger statics right where I live. That’s the thing I love about this effort – even a small contribution can make an impact! Did you know that $1 provides 7 Meals to your local community when you donate online? 

Yep, you read that correctly.  SEVEN.

Think about how even a $1 per neighbor/church member/classmate/PTA member donation could significantly impact your community.  Now think even bigger.. For instance if each person in my own town of around 20,000 made a $1 donation we could provide 140,000 meals! 

There’s no better time than the present.  With summer quickly approaching more kids in your very own community will struggle with hunger. The 19.5 million children receiving the free or reduced-price lunches significantly will drop to only 2.2 million receiving meals through the Summer Food Service Program. Remember, every dollar raised and donated online stays in your community to help those children in need.

(Keep reading how YOU can make an IMPACT today just by simply leaving a COMMENT.)

There have been many inspiring bloggers demonstrating examples of how you can get involved.  Hopefully their initiatives, ideas, creativity, and energy will inspire you to make a difference in your own community as well:

~ Judy from Dirt Road Musings held a “Taste of Italy” Pasta Dinner in her home town of Omaha, Nebraska,and a portion of the proceeds were donated to Feeding America.

~ Courtney from Detroit Mommies teamed up with a local restaurant that donated 5% of the invite’s tab from the food and drinks to the cause.

~ Laura from My DFW Mommy opened her own home and collected canned goods and donations from her neighbors.

~ Andrea from Savvy Sassy Moms hosted a neighborhood ice cream social in Los Angeles, California.

See? It doesn’t have to be elaborate or complicated to make a difference. You can find more ideas, resources and sign up for a FREE toolkit at the Child Hunger Ends Here site.

Now that you’re creative juices are bubbling and overflowing with ideas I want to hear them! 

And here’s the impact you can make with a simple comment:

For every comment, a donation of $1 will be made on behalf of our blog to Child Hunger Ends Here, up to $100. That means that 100 comments on this post could provide 700 MEALS for my local community! 

I’m not too proud to beg…

Will you leave me a comment telling me your ideas for how you could make an impact in your own community?

It’s that simple.

Pretty Please.

With Sugar On Top?

AND a Cherry?

 

Me. The Cows. And Haiti.

So I entered this essay contest that Stonyfield is holding for bloggers…

… Cuz I’m really interested in learning more about eating natural foods, finding out where our foods come from, passing the goodness along to my boys, and all.

… I’ve been even more inspired after watching this movie   and while growing our garden.

… Well, just so happens that I was chosen as a TOP TEN FINALIST!

If I’m voted into the Final 3, I’ll be invited to tour the farms and facilities of Stonyfield to learn more about the farmers dedicated to organic food production.

(Wish I could take these handsome little farmers along for the ride. Goodness, they’ve grown up since this picture!)

Here’s the real kicker…

If I make the Final 3 cut, I’ll receive $5,000 to give to Three Angels Children’s Relief in Haiti.  An organization that has impacted me personally, our church has supported, and my brother recently visited. In such a time of devastation and destruction in this country, $5,000 of American money can make a HUGE impact.  (They also have a great FB Page if you’d like to see more of how they are impacting through their medical clinic, school, and orphanage in Haiti.)

Voting is simple.  Like 30 seconds - Tops. (Your Name, Email, And Vote – Easy Cheesy!) And you can vote 1x a day with a valid email address up until May 25th.

So mosey on over HERE (www.stonyfield.com/barnstorming/) to vote, and I will be super grateful (and so will Three Angels Haiti)!

 Thanks in Advance, Sweet Friends!

 

 

Good Eats.

I’ve had some seriously rockin’ food lately.  (Not at all super healthy crunchy type foods, but you know, the “in moderation” type of yummy food.)

I can’t take credit for any of these creations being my own, so I’ll give credit where credit is due.

• My sister made this yumtastic Strawberry Pie from Paula Deen for my mom and dad’s birthday get together. 

I do love listening to Paula talk about butter. I once met her sons in Savannah, GA.  But that’s another blog post…

• This recipe for a Taco Ring from Hoosier Homemade (Go Indiana!) was as simple as it looked!  An easy alternative to taco night.  All six of us gobbled it right up!

• PW has never let me down.  Seriously, every single recipe I’ve made from The Pioneer Woman Cooks has turned out beautifully.  Her Mac and Cheese did me no wrong. (After all, it’s not swimsuit season yet)

• I’m loving all the produce that’s becoming available as the temperatures get warmer.  Our local Kroger had blackberries for $1 per container. I might have to give this Berry Lemonade from A Southern Fairytale a sip while the berries are so cheap! Or there’s always smoothies.

• And if you have a Kona Grill close by and haven’t tried their Happy Hour, you are missin’ it, Sista! $3 Sushi. $5 Calamari $5 Wood Fire Pizzas. Thank you, Mother’s Day date night.

What Good Eats have you been munchin’ on lately?  Do Tell!

Hope Blogs #WVinDR

Some of my dearest blogging friends are in the Dominican Republic right now with World Vision.  After watching a handful of Compassion Blogger trips and gleaning so much from their experiences, I’m excited to see World Vision taking the opportunity to reach the world through blogger’s hearts. The things that they are sharing from there are so captivating and so moving that I had to share a few with you…

This story of a mother named Maria’s love for Jesus and her hope for her four boys living in the slums of Santo Domingo touched my heart.
These questions are fresh on my mind this afternoon…
This glance into how World Vision is impacting a community helped me understand more.
These faces made me smile back at them….
These words caused me to pray….
This uniting of Jill with her sponsored child who she’s been supporting for 10 years brought tears to my eyes.

My brother’s recent trip to Haiti, the earthquake, and these blogger’s personal experiences, are giving me a greater love for this people group and for reaching the world for Christ.  How about you?
(I’ve closed the comments on this post so you can visit the links above and to consider how God might be leading you to respond.) 

This post is linked to Saturday Stumbles at It’s Come To This

Turns Out I’m An Armadillo In Real Life.

I thought I was at least part human, but turns out I’m pure Armadillo.

According to Wikipedia:

 “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!

March 4 Miracles Mega-Giveaway Winners!

Alright, before I list the winners of the March 4 Miracles Mega-Giveaway, I MUST give you all a HUGE VIRTUAL THANK YOU HUG!  You made my heart sing.  TOGETHER we raised over $2500 ($2538 to be exact) and I was tickled pink (or maybe purple for the March of Dimes color)!  I was so touched by your generosity and you all came together for such a great cause. 

Seriously, I have the best blog readers EVER!

And now to the winners!______________________________________________________

Prize #1

~ 3 SIGNED COPIES of the newly released I Will Carry You by Angie Smith

Goes to #9 Mindy Bullock, #45 PureJoy, and #91 Annette D

 

Prize #2

~ 1 AUTOGRAPHED Copy of “You Deliver Me” CD by the musical group Selah

Goes to #121 JD

 

Prize #3

~ A LOL Essentials Combo Pack by Mabel’s Labels

Goes to #115 Megryansmom

 

Prize #4

~ 1 Download of Alphabet Crafts ebook by No Time for Flash Cards

Goes to #48 Kristin

 

Prize #5

~ A Handmade Necklace of Your Choice from Lisa Leonard Designs

Goes to #77 Leftover Creator

 

Prize #6

~ A $40 Gift Card to Back40Life, Handcrafted Signs and Wall Decals

Goes to #111 Mandi @It’s Come2this

 

Prize #7

~ A T-shirt or Onesie of Your Choice from Designed for Babies

Goes to #10 Bargain Briana

 

Prize #8

~ A Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition from ZonderKidz

Goes to #105 KT

AND…..

Prize #9

The HP Mini 110-1020NR 10.1-Inch Netbook from us =)

Goes to #32 Kate (Insert SCREAM!) 

I called her this morning and her quote was, “SHUT. YOUR. FACE!” Then she screamed, and then she texted me a picture of her broke laptop.  (Needless to say, I think she’s going to accept the prize.)

______________________________________________________________________________

If you are a winner please contact me via email (quatro_mama {at} yahoo {dot} com) with the subject line WINNER plus your name, address, and phone number (for shipping tracking) and we’ll work on hooking you up! 

Again a HUGE thanks to those who donated the prizes!  You made this giveaway so much more than I could have hoped for!  xoxo

I would encourage you all to check out their fine offerings if you’re not a winner.  I’m head over heals for these items!  You can follow them on twitter as well (@designed4babies, @lisaleonard, @NoFlashCards, @back40life, @JSBBible @mabelhood @selahonline, @angelac519)!

Thank you for being a blessing!

 

Ultimate Blog Party 2010

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!

 

photo by: Megelaine Images 

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.)

So for your next clue, visit Jill from The Diaper Diaries!

Happy Partyin’!

(As for prizes, my top pick would be the Toshiba, anything after that would be gravy!)

The Mechanics of a Miracle

By: QuatroDaddy

A little over three years ago, my sons were delivered by c-section at St. Vincent Women's Hospital.  After they were stabilized, they allowed me to go in and meet them for the first time in the next room.  I will never forget the experience and overwhelming emotion of those first minutes.  They were all crying and appeared to be relatively healthy. I was floating as though on drugs; It was an amazing experience.

Next, the nurses told me I would be able to come see them again in the NICU, but that they needed to go.  In the long hours that followed, I was unable to get permission to go see them.  What we didn't realize at the time was that they were beginning to encounter some trouble. 

When preemie babies inhale and then exhale for the first time, their lungs often begin to stick together.  As adults, when we exhale, our lungs collapse together, then as we inhale, they pull apart again and inflate.  This is possible because our bodies produce a lubricating chemical that covers the lining of our lungs which keeps them from sticking together.  Preemies lungs have often not yet developed the ability to produce this lubricant, so they suffocate and die as a result. 

All four of our boys were born with this problem.  Were it not for a man-made chemical called Surfactant, which replaces the lubricant that our bodies are supposed to produce on our own, Henry, Brooks, Clark, and Isaac would most likely not have survived.  They sprayed this lubricant into each of their lungs, allowing them to use their full lung capacity again.

When the doctors or nurses who explained this process to us told us that the research for this life-saving chemical had been funded by the March of Dimes, I knew that this was an organization we would need to give back to.  This is just one example of many life-saving breakthroughs that are used in every NICU across America.  There are thousands of children who sign up for Kindergarten every year who would not be alive without the March of Dimes.

We are making great strides in our efforts as an ambassador family for the March of Dimes Walk for Babies.  We’ve raised over $500 so far and we’re excited to walk with many of our friends and family on April 25th in downtown Indianapolis!  We’d love to have you join our team (please sign up online so we know you are coming) as we fight together for the lives of babies.  Your participation and enthusiasm is changing lives!  (Coming next week there will be some fun incentives for those who have given or will give – so stay tuned!) Remember even a small commitment can make a difference when we work together!

Easter: Meaning vs. Marshmallow

It’s Easter week, the utmost important holiday to our Christian faith.  As much as I love the Starburst Jellybeans, I think we are guilty of commercializing Easter in a way that takes away from the message of the cross and the empty tomb.  I would love for our boys to see the Meaning vs. the Marshmallow at an early age.

Here are a few links I’ve found that I would love to incorporate into our family Easter traditions.

~ No Time for Flash Cards has a fun “Marshmallow Easter Egg” that looks simple enough for this not so crafty mama.

~ (in)courage has “Five Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Easter” that reflect on the true meaning of Easter. 

~ We Are That Family has a great “Making Easter Story Eggs” idea that I would love to recreate.

~ Need a Perfect Easter Gift?  I can’t recommend the Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition enough! 

~ I’ve heard of the Resurrection Rolls, but I’ve never seen the cookie version until Sugar & Spice and Frugal Advice posted her Easter Story Cookies recipe.

Somewhere there’s a balance between the meaningless fun and faith based ways to celebrate. We’re still working on what that looks like for our family.

We’d love to hear what Easter looks like in YOUR family! How do you celebrate?  How do you keep it meaningful? (Feel free to share your links in the comment section if you’ve blogged a tradition, recipe, or activity.)

Sweep It Under The Rug…

In case you didn’t see my tweet yesterday, I had to share this classic moment with you all!

Bonus Points to Whomever Can Name Those Feet From Top to Bottom!

This post is linked to 5 Minutes for Mom WW.

I’m Marching for Miracles

 

***Edited to Add: Please feel free to join our team and walk for your own miracle.  The more the merrier!  We would love to have a team full of all different experiences and stories. Also, I think this is the first time I have ever in the 3+ years of this blog asked for a $ donation to any cause. If each reader would donate just $2 we could meet our $3,000 goal! Thank you in advance, friends!***

Our family has been chosen as a Family Ambassador for this year’s March of Dime’s Walk for Babies. We are both excited and honored to be part of this tremendous effort in the fight for babies.  For us this cause is very personal.  We watched four preemie babies struggle to survive their first few weeks of life.  We stood helpless, as we watched machines and modern medicine helped their bodies function. Their small underdeveloped bodies were not yet ready to meet the demands required outside of the womb.

We know that the diligent efforts of the March of Dimes have had a direct impact upon our boys’ lives.

So that’s why we are forming a 4tunate Team. And we would LOVE for you to join us!  We know you feel connected to our family.  You have joined us in this journey.  You have followed our miracles, and now we’re asking for you to get behind our personal March for More Miracles.   

We’d love to walk along side your families on April 25th in downtown Indianapolis. We’d love to hear your own stories of how you have encountered premature birth. We’d love for you to give on our behalf.

How will you help us in the fight to save babies?

Join our team at http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/4tunate . You can also watch our fundraising progress on the sidebar of the blog. 

Not a “Moment” Too Soon

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!

My Favorite Twins on The Interweb

 

We were blessed to meet Janice and Susan from 5 Minutes for Mom at BlogHer.  They spotted our stroller at the hotel and we became instant friends. They are the sweetest, most hard working, energetic, and welcoming duo. I really hope that someday my boys will share as strong of bond (in a brotherly sort of way) as they possess.

They recently completed a redesign of 5 Minutes for Mom and it looks fantastic!  Love the fresh, crisp look, Ladies!

Today I was pleasantly surprised to see a video interview of our family featured on their site. It’s a super cute clip of our boys from the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.  Can you tell the boys were having the time of their lives? (And that was only the beginning!)

Thanks again, Janice and Susan!  You are both an inspiration and an encouragement to our family!

Smitten by Disney…

I love packages.  Don’t you?  A special one arrived in our mailbox over the weekend…

Smitten &Co (The same creator of birthday shirts last year) hooked us up with a perfect design to wear for our birthday celebration at Walt Disney World. 

Aren’t they delightful?

(Thank you, Tara, for once again making such a personal and perfect creation for our celebration!)

I also found a perfect souvenir surprise to take with us, thanks to a really great deal at a Disney Store that was closing over the weekend.  I’m guessing I got them for a 1/4 of what I could buy them in the park for… No, I can’t tell you!  It’s a surprise, silly!

The days are quickly approaching.  Your ideas for travelling with little ones have been fabulous.  I’ve learned LOADS from y’all!  In fact, I’d love to put together a post of tips we’ve learned along the way after we return.  Also, there is a super-comprehensive post on the Multiples and More Network on “How to Do Disney’s Magic Kingdom with Multiples”.  It’s an incredible resource…even if you’re not traveling with multiples.  Perfect timing!

Now if I could only find a little Pixie Dust to pack some bags, clean the house, and finish the laundry! Wouldn’t that be MAGICAL?

PS One more day until I become a mother of four THREE Year Olds!  Unreal!

Quad Leftovers : A Yummie Tummie Giveaway

I was first introduced to Yummie Tummie during BlogHer ‘09 over the summer.  I found myself by a surrounded by these amazing bloggers who had been given the opportunity to try out a Yummie Tummie shapewear tank. They were all raving about the comfort of their Yummie Tummie tanks and how they made them feel. All the while, I was chuckling to myself that these already tiny women were gushing over shapewear while the the quad mom tried to tuck her muffin top under the table cloth!  I couldn’t help but think “they’ve got the wrong chicks”!

Months later I had not forgotten the highly-prized Yummie Tummie tanks.  I checked out their website and decided what better way for them to test their products than on a couple of my quad mamas.  They loved the idea and provided us with a $100 Gift Card to share with one our readers!

We decided to put Yummie Tummie’s mission of “secretly slimming your mid-section and camouflaging visible lumps and bumps” to the test! (Make that quad leftovers!)

Suprisingly, they exceeded my expectations! 

Here’s what I love:

~ Comfort (almost 2/3s of the tank is t-shirt material)

~ Design (I have the “Boyfriend” style which I can wear with anything and it    hides straps too)

~ Confidence That I Feel When Wearing (It has given me more options in my wardrobe and it doesn’t require me wearing something 2 sizes too big in effort to hide the muffin top “quad leftovers”)

~ Durability (I’ve been wearing it for over 2 months and it still looks brand new. Washes great)

Here’s what I would change in a perfect world:

~ Staying in place (Mine creeps up if I don’t tuck it in, but that might be specific to “quad leftovers”)

~ Price ($62.00 is well over my typical wardrobe budget, but knowing what I know now would I personally invest in one?  Yep.)

So if you’re feeling like “Snee” but would like to look more “Jasmine-nee”….

(Can you tell I have Disney on the brain?)  

I would totally look into the wide variety of slimming apparel Yummie Tummie has to offer!

And enter this giveaway for a chance to win your very own!

Here’s the Details:

One reader from each blog review (See Gen and Suz’s reviews too!) will win a $100 Gift Card to Yummie Tummie!

To enter, just visit the Yummie Tummie site and comment below with what tank you would love to win from their fabulous shapewear line.

Plus there are extra entries available! 

1) Check Out My Quad Mama Sista Gen’s Yummie Tummie Review and leave a comment to win.

2) Visit My Other Quad Mama Sista Suz’s Yummie Tummie Tummie Review and leave a comment to win

3) Become a fan of Yummie Tummie on Facebook and leave an additional comment on this blog letting me know you're a fan

4) Tweet about this giveaway, "I just entered to win a $100 gift card from @YummieTummie thanks to @quatromama !" and leave an additional comment to let me know you tweeted.

The contest will begin on 1/21/2010 and will end 1/28/2010. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct!

Rules:
No duplicate comment entries.
This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older.

Be sure to make there is a way to contact you in your comment
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
Winner has 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

*Disclosure: Yummie Tummie did not compensate this post.  They provided the tank as an appreciation for highlighting their product on our blog.  However, the honest opinions and “quad leftovers” are ALL MINE!

 

Spillin’ It…

I dumped 1/2 a box of Cheerios all over the floor while I was trying to clean up breakfast, but I’ve got more to spill than that!

I’ll go into more detail about most of these items soon, but for now I’m just going to SPILL IT!

• I’ve been asked to speak at the State House on January 28th on behalf of the March of Dimes. (YIKES… I mean Yippee!)

• Brad has not found full-time employment, but he’s launched his own business, 4tunate Design.  Although it’s not yet a full-time salary, we’re hopeful that it can be a short-term or possibly a long-term solution for employment. (Crossing My Fingers and Toes)

• Our NICU Survival Kits are really coming together.  In fact there’s plans in the works for a local stuffing party in February!!!!!  (Location, Date, and Name yet to be determined. Email me NICUKits(at)4tunate(dot)net or leave a comment with your ideas and if you’re interested in attending!)

• I’m teaming up with St. Vincent Health to attend the upcoming BlissDom Conference, which is a weekend of learning and inspiration for bloggers, social media influencers and PR representatives. We are leaving the boys in trustworthy, informed, and willing hands (see video!) Brad is coming along for the ride in hopes to make valuable connections to grow his business. (Thank you St. Vincent Health for this incredible opportunity!)

• I picked a winner for the Pioneer Woman Cooks* giveaway!  Robin Carney, check your email!  =)  (You are going to LOVE it!)

• Speaking of cookbooks, my friend Erin. from $5 Dollar Dinners will be doing a book signing of her brand new book The $5 Dollar Dinner Mom Cookbook* tonight at the Carmel Barnes and Noble from 7-9pm.  (If you’re a local, cancel your plans and come say hello!)

• The Boys Birthday is just over 2 weeks away!  I am almost a mother of 4 THREE YEAR OLDS!  (Keep those prayers a comin’!)

• Lastly, remember that canceled trip to Disney for my 30th birthday after Brad lost his job? Well let’s just say that I think I might need to purchase 4 of these instead…

 

     (Are you “All EARS” Now?)

More Details To Be Shared SOON!  

 

* Affiliate Link via Amazon.com

This Crazy Little Thing Called Blog…

When we decided to create a blog about our high-risk “triplet turned quadruplet” pregnancy, we had no idea that “strangers” would be reading.  We had no intentions of generating revenue through ads to help pay for groceries.  We had little to no knowledge of how to upload videos, how to track visitors, or how to design a blog header….we just wanted to better communicate and request prayer from our family and close friends.

Lo and Behold Here We Are…3 Years Into This Crazy Little Thing Called Blog.

And we have much to show for it: precious friendships, a written collection of memories, a way to give back through our NICU Survival Kits, and countless comments of encouragement along the way.

Blogging has certainly been a blessing to us, and I hope we can continue to be a blessing to others. 

The blogging gurus of #savvyblogging are encouraging bloggers to have a plan of action for the New Year. Here’s what I have for my blogging goals for 2010 so far…

(Hang tight, I want YOUR input too!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Striking a healthy balance between blogging and other responsibilities

~ Grow our giving through our NICU Survival Kits project to support families experiencing the uncertainties of the NICU

~ Growing our blog in readership in order to connect to others and to financially contribute to our family during this season of unemployment

~ Gaining boldness in communicating my faith and sharing God’s incredible mercy and grace in our lives

~ Continuing to build relationships and partnerships between products and companies that have genuinely made our lives better, and passing along the benefits to you 

~ Connecting to you the reader better through vlogging, responding to comments, visiting your blogs, conversations on twitter, and listening to your input

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now it’s YOUR turn!  I’ve created a little questionnaire to help collect your valuable suggestions, ideas, and feedback. 

Need an incentive? 

How about your very own copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks?  I received one for Christmas from my mother-in-law and it’s sooooooooooo incredible.  Every page is filled with scrumptious goodness.  It’s the most amazing collection of recipes I’ve ever laid my eyes on! (You can check it out over on my Amazon Affiliate, if you can’t wait until this giveaway is over!)

Just fill out this quick form and enter your name and email address for an opportunity to win a copy! 

Hope you are all having a great start to a New Year and thanks for continuing to be a blessing in our lives all year long!