What I Have Learned

So, at this point in Mommy hood there are a few things I have learned and I'd like to share them:

1.  Always pick up and put away all the toys at night.  This may seem silly to some, but it gives the illusion that the children have not completely taken over your house.  It also seems to teach kids to appreciate their things a little more.

2.  Keep Clorox wipes or some type of disinfectant wipes in every bathroom.  I wipe down the sink and toilet every time I empty the trash in each bathroom.  This doesn't seem like such a big deal, but it really helps keep the bathrooms much tidier until it is clean the bathrooms day.  Also, if someone is coming over, you can run in there and wipe the bathroom down really quick so you have the illusion of a totally clean bathroom. 

3.  Keep another diaper station somewhere in the house other than the changing table.  With twins and a 2 year old, there are just times that you don't want to walk away to change a baby.  This way you can keep an eye on the others and still get the time to play with the baby you are changing.

4.  Clean something every day.  This takes about 15 minutes of your time, and you never have a totally dirty house.  For example, today I am vacuuming (this of course is all the bedrooms, hallway, etc., separate from the daily vacuuming of the living room).  Tomorrow I dust, and the next day is bathrooms.  If it doesn't happen one day, it doesn't matter, because it was just a week ago that I dusted anyway.

5.  Start dinner in the morning or during the day if you can.  Nighttime flies by when there are multiple babies to feed, and typically we end up eating very late if I have to start supper after the feeding frenzy.

6.  Patience is not only a virtue but a learned behavior taught most effectively by husbands and children.

So, that's just how I've been getting along.  I don't have an immaculate house and I don't ever stress over cleaning when people come over anymore because it's never really dirty, perhaps just a little messy from toys.  The important thing for me is that each one of my children feel like they get all the attention they need.  After all, the house and cooking is not my job, the babies are.

Morax of the Borax

Borax Laundry Booster is my new all-time favorite cleaner.  As you can imagine, I've spent a LOT of time spraying stain remover on my 3 babies' clothes.  A LOT of time.  So much time in fact, I feel like I don't need to lift weights for my arms on laundry days.  Sounds silly, doesn't it?  Not really.  It's also VERY time-consuming.  But now, all I do is just soak the load of clothes for about 20 minutes with some Borax, then wash them again with some Borax mixed in with the laundry detergent, and the clothes come out cleaner than they were when I was spraying them individually.  I LOVE not spraying stain remover on every bib, onesie, shirt, sock, etc we own.  Also, now I don't dread washing a load of whites - that is until they need to be folded.

Anyway, I figure if a product has been around for close to 100 years, something about it must be good.  Truth be told, I just like buying a product that says "20 Mule Team."  It makes me laugh.  Plus it has about a million other uses.

So, yes, 20 Mule Team Borax is my new best friend. 

Thanks Mom for the tip.

My New Diaper Deal

I totally renege on the diapers.com post.  Now that I have been buying diapers for 3 babies for a few months, I think I finally have it figured out.  Not just diapers either.  Here is my new gig for groceries, diapers, cleaning supplies, etc.

So you can load coupons onto your shopping card - I use Kroger.  For some reason the electronic coupons (which do not double by the way) do not interfere with physical coupons that you hand the cashier.  So for any one item, you basically use 2 different coupons, AND the paper coupon if it is under $.50 still doubles.  I found this out totally by mistake, but am now going to take full advantage. 

Here is an example:

Jumbo pack of Huggies at Kroger $8.99.
Electronic coupon loaded on shopper's card -$1.50.
Paper coupon for Huggies -$3.00.
Total cost - $4.49.  For Huggies.  Not a bad deal.

I only bought one pack of diapers and some other items I had coupons for because I wanted to verify that was what was really happening.    It was and is.

SWEET!!!!!

Now I have to go back and buy more diapers.  Really.  We'll be out in 3 days or less.  Seriously.

Get 'em Cookin'

So my 2-year old eats just about anything.  Well, I say that, but it's not really true.  She doesn't like saucy things or dips, and can be pretty picky about things like tacos, but then again she's 2.  She does however eat carrots (doesn't every kid?), radishes, bell pepper, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, onion, tomato, green beans, peas, celery, etc.  Not cooked mind you, raw.  She LOVES spaghetti sauce, tuna casserole, spanish rice, roast, steak, chicken, eggs, bacon and the typical kid stuff.  My point in telling all of this non-essential information is that I completely attribute her eating habits to the fact that she cooks with me constantly.  I know that I started cooking with her in a chair at the sink when she was about a year old, but it wasn't until I was pregnant with the twins that I made sure everytime I was in the kitchen she was too (this replaced some of our floor time because mommy couldn't get down and up very well!)  What's unbelievable to me is that so many people think that it's not a good idea or too messy to have a toddler in the kitchen with them.  You would not believe the comments I get on the "Cooking with Karlie" photo I have posted.  So many people think that she is way to young to be helping, or I might let a knife get in her way, or I'm just letting her create a big mess.  My response to that is "What?  I'm not an idiot that gives her knives, and my floor could use some extra wiping anyway - it's my floor, get over it.  And my kid can crack eggs, stir things together, knows all the fruits and veggies mommy cooks with, and she practices counting on a daily basis."  Now, don't get me wrong, you've got to be QUICK with the egg thing, and yes I do have to mop up the floor everyday, but who cares?  In the meantime, I have a little girl who is well on her way to being not only a good eater, but I have a very special bond with my daughter already that I can only hope will continue through the years.

Diapers, Diapers, Diapers

This is my shameless plug for diapers.com.....

So recently I placed my first diaper order at diapers.com.  Wow, what an awesome idea to have your diapers delivered to your door.  Typically, I would pack all the girls up, take my fistful of coupons and head off to whatever store has a sale that week.  Of course I would come home with a huge assortment of diapers - none of which were the brand I preferred - but feeling satisfied that for the next 2 weeks I had found the most economical way to keep my babie's butts dry.  Seriously, when you need to buy 300 or so diapers every 2 weeks (that's pushing it between the 3) you've got to work the system.  My favorite was shopping at the local Kroger.  Occasionally, you can print $3 off coupons online for their store brand and end up buying a pack of 56 diapers for around $3.50.  Pretty good deal right?  Until they stop letting you print the coupons or they expire.  So, I decided that I'd price the diapers at diapers.com and see what was what.  They have buy in bulk cheaper prices, but the thing that sold me was the discounts.  They offer a first time buy discount, free shipping, referral cash, etc.  Then, when I found out I could send in my coupons and they would credit my next order, I was sold!!!  I get to use my coupons too!!!!  The diapers arrive in two days, and no more special trips to the store for diapers for me!  Thank you diapers.com, thank you!!!

Instant Savings:  Use referral code JTIG8044 to save $10 on your first order!

Tip for MOMs:  Huggies and Pampers will both send you extra coupons if contact them and let them know you have twins.

Teething Again!

Yep, it's the twins.  Karlie (my 2 year old) had all her teeth by a year.  Maggie and Ella are 3 months old today, and we officially have teeth coming through.  You can even see them.  Poor little things.  Time to break out the teething tablets...aka Baby Crack in our house.  15 minutes after a couple of tablets and your sweet, smiling baby just came back.  I wanted to mention those because I've talked to 3 different people in the past 2 weeks who have never tried them.  Try them!  They make their/your life so much better!  They are the only thing that really worked with Karlie.  We even tried the whiskey on the gums thing with her, but after talking to other folks realized we were doing it wrong.  Apparently you rub whiskey on the baby's gums, and then the parents take a shot.  That's what makes it all better.  And, as much as I love a good shot of whiskey, I can't really be doing shooters in the Wally world or wherever else we are that day.  So, later today I'm off to the store for some Baby Crack.  Hopefully they'll work for you too!!!!