Halloween wrap up

This year was Ben's best Halloween yet.  I am loving this age.  He totally got into the fun of the holiday and we had a blast!  We Halloweened hard.  

We started off by attending several library programs.  The nice thing about our new library system is that we have more branches we can go to.  We went to two Halloween story hours.  We also did a craft party.  Ben loved the little crafts!  They were perfect for his age.  There were three different plates we made into a Frankenstein monster, a jack-o-lantern, and a bat.  The pieces we needed were already cut out, we just had to glue them on.  It took just the right amount of time for Ben's attention span.  

Making Halloween decorations!

The girls had fun too!

Happy Ali!

Smiley Sammy

Pat's school had a Halloween event that families were invited to attend.  The kids from the school got to trick or treat.  Ben was super excited to be in his Halloween costume with his daddy.  He looked so cute as Buzz Lightyear!  And Pat made an amazing Woody.  Ben really liked helping hand out candy to the kids.  Later he played at the playground and got a chance to jump in the bounce house!

Buzz and Woody!

I love these two characters. :)

We always love a playground.

Bounce house!!

The Saturday before Halloween we went with Aunt Gail and Uncle Dan to the Halloween party at their country club.  Jessee, Evan, Peyton, and Benson went too!  Ben was so excited to get to hang out and party with his cousins.  They were all so cute at the party!  The kids got to eat a ton of good food, decorate pumpkins, get their faces painted, and dance the evening away.

Peyton is so sweet with Ben!  She takes good care of him.

How cute are these three?  I love getting to spend time with them!

Buzz Lightyear!  He was so happy to wear his costume so much.  It was adorable!

Uncle Dan helped Ben decorate his pumpkin.

The kid ate about a million hot dogs.  He was so happy to try the cake ball eye ball.

Face painted!  This was the first time Ben actually went through with it.  He didn't like the process, but he liked his ice cream cone!

Ali and Sammy enjoyed the party too!  Ali was super into it.  Our little extrovert smiled at everyone and ate up all the attention.  Sammy was a little shyer.  She had fun, but was a little nervous around some of the new people.  They were big girls and sat in their high chairs like champs.  And they both ate a ton too!  They didn't get to eat any of the junk food yet, but they had a lot of fun eating and smiling.

Party girls!

Good talk with Uncle Dan

That Evan is so funny!

These girls know how to party. :)

Ben's pumpkin!  Looking good!

The kids had so much fun.  Benson, Ben, and Peyton danced hard.  The band had all sorts of little percussion instruments for the kids to play with too, which of course Ben adored.  The girls liked dancing with us and really seemed to enjoy being a part of everything.  My favorite part was Ben running up to Pat and saying, "Daddy, come dance!"  Pat isn't usually much of a dancer, but who can say know to that invitation?

Finally, on actual Halloween Ben went trick or treating for the first time!!  We were going to take him last year, but he refused to wear his costume so we decided not to.  This year he knew what was going on and was so excited! He liked having us go up to the door with him, so we took turns going up and staying with the girls.  Ben did a great job of saying Happy Halloween and thanking everyone as he got his candy.  A few of the decorated houses were a little scary for him, but overall he really enjoyed himself!

I loved our little group of costumes.  Ben was of course Buzz Lightyear, Pat was Woody, and I was Jessie.  We wanted to keep the Toy Story theme up so the girls were Mrs. Potato Heads.  I was super proud of their little costumes and thought they were so cute.  I thought the girls would play with them a bit, but I hoped they would ignore them overall.  Yeah, that isn't at all what happened.  They would not leave their costumes alone.  They pulled the pieces off and tried to eat them.  I got a few pictures, but nothing super great.  I tried to get pictures of all of us together but Ben was not having it. Instead of prolonging the meltdowns just to try to get a good picture I just let it go.  I pulled the pieces off the girls for trick or treating and skipped the group picture.  Maybe someday I'll get good pictures of all three kids together, but not this time.  :P

My little Mrs. Potato Heads.  They looked so cute... for a few seconds anyway. ;)

Trick or treating baby style

Trick or treating with Daddy!

Buzz and Jessie

We let Ben try some candy when we got home.  He really liked the chocolate ones.  I don't think we've ever let him eat candy so late in the day, and he really liked that.

Candy!

Ben is already asking when he can trick or treat again.  He had a great time with all of the Halloween festivities.  Ali and Sammy were super cute throughout everything, and I know they will get into it even more as they get older.  I love Halloween!  Now it's time to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas!  Yay!

-Kim

Schedule Update: Nine month old twins (with a three year old too!)

The girls are nine months old!  They are older babies now (which feels like a strange thing to write).  They are past the newborn and early babyhood stages of just trying to figure out nursing and napping.  But they aren't yet starting in on toddler hood.  So while they still need a lot of sleep, they don't just sleep all the time.  Nursing is pretty routine now, but solids mean figuring out new eating patterns.  Add to that Ben is three, meaning he still has a lot of toddler needs, but it rushing forward to his preschool years full force.  That presents some challenges to get everyone's needs met.  Fortunately I think we have found a pretty good routine that works for us.

Here is how our days usually run.  

7:00am- Ben gets up.  We get a few minutes of one on one time and he gets started on breakfast.

7:15am- Ali and Sammy get up.  Play for a few minutes while I finish up time with Ben.

7:30am- Ali and Sammy nurse

7:45am- Everyone play while I make the girls' breakfast, my breakfast, and make sure Ben has had enough of his food. 

8:00am- Girls have solids breakfast with me.  Ben either sits with us or plays.  

8:30am- Done with breakfast, kids play while I clean up.  If it is girls' bath day they get baths.  This is often when we facetime with Meo.

9:00am- Ali and Sammy to first nap.  Ben gets bath if it is his bath day, otherwise he goes to independent playtime.  He does one hour in playtime, then gets to play in the living room.  I get myself ready for the day and get chores done.  We also do our reading time during this time.

11:00am- Ali and Sammy wake up and nurse.

11:30am-1:45pm- This is our busy time most days.  I try to get us out of the house most days, either to the library, the store, the bank, a park.  Really anything to get out.  We move lunch to fit the days outing best.  Sometimes we all eat right after the girls nurse, sometimes it is more like 12:30.  Ali and Sammy have solid lunch with Ben and me every day though.  If we are not out we do playtime at home.  Ben does crafts, reads, plays, or watches a show if I have work to do.  Girls play and read with us.  If we aren't going out for the day, this is my biggest time to play with the kids.

1:45pm- Ali and Sammy nurse.  Ben gets to watch a show.  (This is usually his first show time of the day.  A few days a month I have my work to do and he gets an earlier show.)

2:00pm- Ali and Sammy to second nap.

2:15pm- Ben to nap.

4:30pm- Everyone up!  4:30 is the goal, but if everyone has actually napped well and wake up I get them up any time after 4.  

4:30pm- Ali and Sammy nurse.

4:45-5:30pm- Kids play and often get a show.  I prep dinner and try to keep the kids happy, but this is usually the fussiest time of day.

5:30pm- Dinner!  Ali and Sammy eat solids dinner with us.  I will feed just the kids if Pat is working late, then they play while he and I have dinner.

6:00pm- Play time!  Pat is home, and he gets to see the kids.  (He has to leave before they wake up in the morning, so all three adore this time.)

6:45pm- Ali and Sammy jammie up and nurse one last time.

7:00pm- Ali and Sammy to bed for the night.

7:10pm- Ben starts his bedtime routine.  

7:30pm- Ben in bed for the night.

I want to note that this is the general guideline for our days.  Of course each day doesn't work our perfectly.  (I sometimes feel a little stressed when I read other mom's schedules, thinking their days run like clockwork all the time.  Our days don't always run perfectly, but this is the plan I try to follow.) Some nights the girls are super tired and go to bed early.  Some nights (like Halloween) we let Ben stay up a little later.  Now that the weather is cooling off we might do an earlier dinner to have time to hit the park before bed.  Meal times can scoot up if I know kids are extra hungry.  We adjust as needed. 

As I wrote the middle of the day slot is our most variable time.  If we are going to do a late lunch (like when we have story hour at 11) I do give Ben a little snack to tide him over before we go out.  The girls are still nursing, so that counts as their snack.  If we do an early lunch I know I may have to offer Ben a snack before nap time.  The girls are big enough that we can wiggle the window for morning nap to suit activities if needed.  I can scoot morning wake time and first nap up about fifteen minutes so they wake earlier.  This gives us even more time in the middle of the day.  Afternoon nap rarely moves though.  With all three napping then I try my very best not to mess with that time.  

I definitely think having a schedule actually gives us more flexibility.  This structure helps me make sure everyone's sleeping and eating needs are met.  I get a chance to have time to accomplish all the adult stuff we all need to do- cook, clean, work, shower (we all appreciate when I do that. ;) ) I know when I can stretch a little bit because we have our basic routine to fall back on.  And even with a three year old and infant twins we still get out of the house almost every day!  

Schedules are a plan for the day.  They grow and change as our kids do.  This is where we are right now and it is working for us.  

-Kim

Happy Birthday, Meo!

Happy birthday to Meo!  We're sorry we can't celebrate with you in person.  These three little ones love you so much and miss you!

We love you, Meo!

This sweet boy misses you too!

Happy Birthday!  Thank you for being such a great mom and grandma!

-Kim

October 2016 Book List

This month I read two books from the same author, Rick Riordan.  One was the second in a series and one was the start of a new spin off series.  I love these books and this author.  This month I am going to highlight these series.  I don't want to recap too much and give a lot a way.  But trust me, these are great books for all ages.  Yes, they are technically young adult.  But I started reading them just before Ben was born and I have enjoyed them all.

These books all follow the same idea- the ancient gods exist and are still around today.  Of course ancient evil exists too and the gods alone can't keep it at bay, they need the help of teen demigods.  (Why do such powerful entities need the help of teens?  Who knows.  It does seem silly, but hey, they are good stories.)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians is the first series.  It centers around Percy Jackson, a son of Poseidon and a place called Camp Half-Blood.  Camp Half-Blood is a safe place for children of the Greek gods to live and train.  A prophecy is given that sends Percy and some friends on a trek to save the world.  (There is a big theme of saving the world in all these series.  Apparently we are all in jeopardy a lot. :P )

The Heroes of Olympus carries on after Percy's initial story.  In this series we learn that not only are the Greek gods around and active, their Roman counterparts are as well.  (And yes, the series talks about how that is possible.)  We meet demigods from Camp Jupiter, Camp Half-Blood's Roman counterpart.  The new journey to save the world is even bigger than the last and has more great characters.

The Kane Chronicles is its own series, although it does allude to the Olympians briefly.  (And there are some crossover stories.)  These books are told a little differently, they are the transcripts from a brother and sister.   Their father is an egyptologist who goes missing.  While trying to find him Carter and Sadie learn that they are descendants from a long line of powerful magicians.  They have to learn to use their magic to help save the world.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is one of the newest series out right now, it is on book two.  This series centers around the ancient Norse gods.  Magnus is actually the cousin of one of the main characters from the Percy Jackson stories.  I really liked these as I did not know much about Norse mythology, besides of course what I've seen from the Thor movies.  (I'm thinking that isn't enough to say I knew much about it.)  Yes, they have to work to save the world again.  (Okay, I am simplifying it a bit.  The world isn't always in total peril in these books, but more or less things will go very very badly for the planet if the main characters don't step in and save the day.)  Spoiler alert- there are hints at the end of the second book that some of the Greek demigods are going to play a bigger part in future books!

The final book I read this month was The Trials of Apollo.  Apollo falls to earth as a human and has to find a way to redeem himself to regain his godly status.  We end up back at Camp Half-Blood.  New forces are gathering to try to cause trouble for the demigods and the world in general.  Only one book in this series is out already.  Characters from the Olympians make a comeback at the end, which I think is very exciting.

So why do I like these books so much?  The biggest thing is that they are fun.  They are exciting and full of action.  You can read them on their own, but if you read all the series you get to learn more and more about how they all fit together.  (It can get a bit confusing how all these ancient deities are still operating at the same time.) I really can't wait for Ben, Ali, and Sammy to be big enough to read these as a family.  I think these books are fun for adults, but really great for kids.  They are chock full of mythology.  This might not seem like an area kids need to know a lot about, but it does actually play in to a lot of arenas.  First of all, it is history.  Yes, it might be viewed as just a bunch of stories.  But they are the stories of cultures.  They tell what different groups of people in history have valued, how they related to each other, and how they viewed the world around them.  The gods in these books are imperfect, and this gives a good opening to discussions about character and how to handle strengths and weaknesses.  Mythology plays into a lot of literary illusions and great works, so a working knowledge of it can be very helpful.  Beyond the mythology the books have a ton of lessons on team work, sacrifice, and finding your way in life.  Important lessons that I am looking forward to sharing with my kids.  I view these books as 'keepers.'  I love to own books, but try to limit myself so as not to overrun our home with books.  These books are ones that I want to invest in to reread again, with the kids and on my own.  I really recommend them to everyone.  (And yes, these links are affiliate links.  All these opinions are completely my own.  I really do love these books this much.)


-Kim

Easy dinner staples to keep on hand (and how to use them)

Dinner.  It rears its head every night.  Overall I enjoy cooking.  I find it fun and relaxing.  But that does not mean that every night I am jumping at the chance to make something.  There are days that are crazy and I am just looking to get something on the table fast.  On those nights I am happy I keep some basic staples on hand that I can throw together in a couple different combos to suit my family's tastes for that night.

The main idea is pretty simple.  Grab a protein you have on hand.  Pick a grain to go with it.  Then get any vegetable you happen to have available.  Top it off with the seasoning of your choice.  It sounds simple. And it is!  But I think sometimes we get wrapped up in feeling like we need to put together something exciting, new, and fancy.  The truth is, we don't.  You need something that fits the food groups, fills you up, and tastes good.  I can whip up a dinner in about twenty minutes as long as I keep some of these main basics on hand.

Here are my staples and some ideas to go with them.

Proteins:
Ground meat- turkey, beef, chicken, Italian sausage.  These options defrost pretty quickly, and cook up super fast.  I buy them on sale and just keep them in my freezer.  Ground turkey is healthier, and seriously once it is mixed in with other stuff you don't notice that it isn't always as flavorful as beef.  If you want instant seasoning for no work the Italian sausage is where it's at.  You can buy it as the sausages and slice the casing off to get it as loose meat.  This is a good thing to remember if they are on sale.

Turkey kielbasa- or regular kielbasa.  I like the turkey because it is a little healthier.  This is a good one because it can defrost in about thirty minutes.  They are generally already fully cooked, so you just have to worry about heating them.  Tons of flavor, and easy to cut into small pieces for little hands.

Thin cut pork chops- Sometimes you don't want to have a casserole or mixed up dinner, you want to feel like you have a more traditional meal.  They take about 10 minutes in the oven.  Nice and fast while you whip up a side dish.

Eggs- When in doubt, throw and egg on it.  Scrambles, omelets, egg casseroles.  Tasty protein a lot of kids enjoy.  And who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?  Filling and cheap.

Vegetables:
Diced tomatoes- You can get these with seasons or just tomatoes.  It adds moisture and flavor to all sorts of mixes.

Canned green beans- We love canned green beans.  You can find them for less than fifty cents a can most places.  Open up the can, drain and rinse, microwave for one minute and you have a vegetable.  Fastest one I can make.

Frozen bell peppers- I like to buy these frozen because of how long they last!  They cook up quickly and add a some color to any dinner.

Frozen cauliflower and broccoli- Easy to cook on the stove and in the microwave.  You can buy broccoli cuts and chopped broccoli to add to skillet meals and casseroles without chopping.  The florets are great with a little (or a lot in our house) cheese sprinkled on top.

Frozen peas- Again, easy for little fingers to grab and eat.  They also mix in nicely with skillet meals.  Or microwave for a side on their own.

Grains:
Brown rice- I like the minute version.  Ready to eat in less than ten minutes and perfect to mix into one bowl meals.

Noodles- regular and egg- Noodles don't have to just be for traditional spaghetti dishes!  They go great with any protein and vegetable.  (And yes, that includes eggs!  Try a fried egg over noodles with a little cheese.  Not sure how healthy it is, but it sure tastes good!)  Egg noodles cook up quickly and go well with casserole type dishes too.

Tortillas- There are always tacos and quesadillas.  But take any meat and vegetable, put it in a tortilla, and you have a filling fun meal!  Add rice to bulk it up a bit more.  Breakfast burritos are yummy.  You can use tortillas and salsa instead of noodles and tomato sauce to make a Mexican-like lasagna.

Other:
Shredded cheese- Any kind you like works.  This is something that is often on sale, so I stock up a bit.  Cheese always makes things taste yummy.

Sour cream- Honestly this isn't always something I have on hand.  But if I know dinners will be rushed during the week and I plan on doing some sort of wrap I like to grab a small container.  It is also good to stir a little bit into skillet meals to add creaminess.

Worcestershire sauce- I have the hardest time pronouncing this one but it adds fast flavor to a variety of dishes.  You can get low sodium versions.  A few splashes really adds depth to dishes.

Onion powder- yes, real onion is better,  If I remember I get frozen diced onions.  Even faster is to grab the onion powder.  Even when you don't want an onion-y taste this adds a little something more to make dinner tasty.  Plus if you have little ones the actual pieces of onion can be offensive.  Get the flavor without the pieces.

Great, we have the ingredients and some ideas.  But examples always help.

Try cooking up some ground meat.  Toss in a frozen vegetable of your choice, along with some onion and garlic powder.  Cook some minute rice.  When the rice is done add it to the skillet with the meat and vegetables.  Serve as is or use a tortilla to make wraps.  You can add a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkle of cheese to add a little extra tastiness.

You can also cook up some noodles.  While those are going cut of some kielbasa and add to a pan.  Put some frozen bell peppers in and heat up together.  Add the cooked noodles and some Parmesan cheese to have a tasty pasta dish.

Season some thin cut pork chops with a little salt and pepper and cook up in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes.  While that is going cook up some minute rice.  Last minute open a can of green beans and microwave them for a minute.

Scramble up some eggs, add some frozen chopped broccoli, and use a tortilla for a burrito.  If you have leftover potato from a previous meal you can make a great skillet.  Omelettes or just 'scrambled eggs wtih stuff' as I call messed up omelettes always taste great, no matter the time of day.

These are just a few ideas.  The great part about these meals is you can customize them to your family's tastes.  There are no real rules, and they are actually pretty hard to mess up.  Add a fruit to the table and you have a pretty well rounded meal.  That's the most important thing.  Healthy food fast with minimal time spent.

-Kim

Be sure to check out all the ladies of the BFBN today as we tackle dinner challenges!

Chronicles of a Babywise Mom-Favorite Fall Recipes
Mama's Organized Chaos- Quick Dinner Ideas: Gluten, Dairy, Egg, and Soy Free
The Journey of Parenthood-Why I Love My Slow Cooker
Twinning Babywise- How to Make Any Dinner a Quick One
Wiley Adventures- Our Favorite Quick Dinners

Rocking out

Because sometimes you just need to rock out.

I have to say, he has some decent rhythm.  The girls seemed to enjoy his impromptu concert as well.  I was worried the loud noises would startle them, but they thought it was great fun.

The kid rocked out so hard he actually broke one of his drumsticks.  Good thing we had extras.  (And that you can get more at the dollar store.)

Despite obviously being a hard core rocker, he is still my sweet boy.  When he was done he brought me the pans and spoons and said thank you.  

I love my little drummer!

-Kim

Nine month update

Nine months.  I like the nine month milestone.  I think it is interesting to think that, in general, at this point babies have spent as much time out in the world as they did in the womb.  It is amazing how much they have grown and developed in such a short amount of time.  It makes me a little nostalgic for the pregnant time with them, but I like having them here on the outside with me so much more.  These two little girls are such a gift in our lives.  I am so lucky to have them as my daughters.

The girls are still on the go all the time.  No hands and knees crawling yet.  I keep thinking they are on the verge of getting it.  They get up and rock back and forth.  But army crawling is really working for them, so it isn't like they can't get anywhere they want.  And they are fast!  Seriously, they can take off after something they want and get to it in no time.  I've started gating the play area a bit so they can't sneak off and get into trouble.  Ben has been helpful in letting me know when they start crawling.  He calls out, "She's getting away!"  It is so cute.  They are just so curious and interested in everything around them!

Ali and Sammy are doing so well with solids.  They are super messy.  That is to be expected of course, but they have gotten the hang of eating.  They seem to enjoy pretty much anything they get to eat.  I think that is pretty normal at this stage.  I am happy they eat all sorts of vegetables, but I know it time they will start having preferences and it won't be so easy.  So far banana pancakes, guaca-hummus, bananas, and peas are faves.  Interestingly, neither Ali or Sammy seem very into green beans.  This wouldn't be a big deal except Ben was the same way.  From the first time he tried them he would not eat green beans.  Funny sibling pattern there.  We started having them use sippy cups this month as well.  They enjoyed playing with the bottles, but weren't really drinking a ton from them.  I decided that instead of fighting with them to learn to use the bottle properly and then switching to the sippy, we would just go straight to the cup.  It is working!  It took some practice, but they are getting it down now.  Sammy especially likes to try to hold it herself, which is so cute!  Ali is a little more content to let me hold it for her.  I like that they are getting better at drinking water.  It makes me feel better when we go out and about on hot days that I can help keep them hydrated with water.

The girls love to talk to each other.  They are big on taking toys from each other.  Sometimes they don't seem to care, but other times I already have to referee sister fights.  They are constantly taking pacifiers from each other.  It can be pretty funny to watch actually.  It doesn't matter if one already has a pacifier, she will try to grab her sister's if they get too close together.  Sisters, huh?  They are starting to play with Ben, and Ben is liking it!  It is the sweetest thing ever.  He lies down on the floor with them and they crawl around him.  Ben likes when they try to crawl over him, and it is funny to watch.  Sammy and Ali just watch him and giggle and smile when he plays with them.  We are still working on sharing toys, but I think Ben is doing pretty well.  The girls love getting out of the house.  They still spend most of our outings in the stroller, but they enjoy watching what is going on around them.

They both have two teeth!  They look so cute when they smile.  They are both still nursing well, though Sammy had a bit of a bite-y day a week or so ago.  That was not fun for anyone involved.  We worked through it though, and she is doing better.  Sammy was the first of the two to start waving!  Ali waves now too, but Sammy does it a lot.  It is so sweet!  I love that they wave to us.  They both adore their lovies.  What is interesting is that they really tend to ignore each others and focus only on their own.  Ali knows the bunny is hers and Sammy knows the monkey is hers.  They both want their specific lovie and go to it for comfort, even if that means going right past the other one.  I like that they find such comfort in these objects.

Sleep is going pretty well.  They do have some naps that aren't the best if they get overtired.  I know, that should be something I can control a bit.  But sometimes naps have to be shortened for life to take place.  At least I know this happens and I can plan ahead to really focus on them when they may be overtired.  At least they sleep at night well.  I can handle the occasional bad nap a lot better than an all night awake fest.  Overall I still cannot complain about these two.  They are champs that do their best to sleep well.

Sammy still tends to be a bit quieter than Ali.  That is relative with these two.  She is often happy to play with toys on her own.  She will explore the play area and seek out things to do by herself.  She is a little bit of a neater eater.  Again, that is relative.  She really looks at her tray and seems to focus on the task at hand.  She likes to do things herself.  She tries to hold her sippy herself, and looks very proud of herself when she accomplishes something new.  Ali is my little shadow.  She is most likely to follow me around.  She likes to interact with others.  She is determined.  When she wants something she has a laser focus on it, and can be surprisingly patient in working towards her goals.  She does get a little louder when displeased.  She eats with gusto- meal times and fun and messy.  She doesn't mind letting me hold her cups for her.  She wants to be where the action is.

Both girls are still little cuddle bunnies.  They are so happy to be held and are often seeking attention.  They love to giggle and smile.  They light up when Pat gets home from work.  They adore their big brother.  They make me laugh with their antics and interactions.  I love watching all three kids play together and enjoy themselves.  I am so lucky to have these great kids.

Ali!  Always such a big smile.

Sammy!  Such a happy girl.

I love watching these three play.

Happy to be on the go!!

Sammy and Ali, my sweet loves.

I can't get over how amazing it is to watch these two little girls grow and learn, not just on their own but together.  Add to that the joy of watching Ben with them and I am one happy and lucky mother.  I never get tired of saying it- I love Ali and Sammy!

-Kim