Multiple Mayhem!

Along Came a Spider Who Sat Down Beside Her

Denise — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 22:43:44 GMT

We have a huge oak tree beside our driveway that we park under and recently a banana spider has made himself a home there. Every morning when we load up the kids to take them to school they have to stop and look and see what spidey is doing, but we're all careful not to get too close because he's at least three inches long (not including his legs) and pretty darn scary looking! Hubby has been extracting honey nearby and spidey has been feasting on the poor unsuspecting bees who apparently can't see the five foot web that he's built there. We can't reach the web because its pretty high up in the tree, and I'm not sure that we'd want to reach it if we could, but we're really hoping that he'll move along to a new location soon now that the extracting is finished!

It's Big Cheese Day for the Quads!

Denise — Thu, 05 May 2011 17:16:00 GMT

We're nearing the end of our quadruplets' first school year and to celebrate each of the pre-k "kindermice" gets a day of their own where they're the "Big Cheese" for a day - they get to wear this snazzy hat, lead activities and give a presentation to the class about their favorite things.

Their teacher this year has been absolutely wonderful about making them all feel special on an individual basis, and in asking for our input on things like this so she gave me plenty of advance notice and asked if I wanted to do all the kids on one day or if they should each have their own day. I'm grateful that she gave me the option because unfortunately work commitments wouldn't allow me four mornings off, and I'm SO glad that the kids all had a blast and enjoyed being the "Big Cheese" for a day!

Loving These Teacher Appreciation Gifts!

Denise — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:57:00 GMT

The kids had a blast last night preparing these appreciation gifts for their teachers! Their favorite part was using a big spoon to fill them with M&Ms and my favorite part was eating all the ones that hit the table. Thanks to Sara at Our Best Bites for the great idea We changed up the label a little bit so I could print them out on actual labels, then we made these gift tags and attached decorative paper clips to them. This morning the kids hand delivered them along with jars of honey from our bees. Thanks so much to all of you teachers out there for all that you do throughout the year!

Signs of Spring

Denise — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:38:00 GMT

Although the high for today will end up in the mid 80s, I wanted to share these signs of spring from our backyard.

7 More Mouths To Feed

Denise — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 05:49:00 GMT

One of the benefits of living out in the middle of the woods is that we get to see all sorts of wildlife, of course that can be a double edged sword when that wildlife prefers to eat your apple, pear and pomegranate trees! We looked out the office window the other day to see this family of seven deer having a snack in the front yard. The kids begged me to print the pictures so they carried them to school yesterday and they were so proud that they showed them to EVERYONE they came across in the parking lot, the office and the hallway!

Operation Santa Smiles

Denise — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 02:01:00 GMT

When our quadruplets were three months old the boys both developed pyloric stenosis and had to have surgery to correct the problem. We spent the week of Christmas at the hospital with one son, then the week of New Year’s at the hospital with the other and even though they were way too young to remember, the hospital is just no place for a kid to be at Christmas. Ever since then I’ve been planning on taking the kids back up to the hospital on Christmas Eve to deliver toys to the children there as soon as they were old enough to understand. This year we’ve been hearing way too much about “want” – my silly kids “want” everything they see on television, even when they don’t know what it is or does. So we decided that this was the perfect time for a lesson on “need” and to get started on what will be an annual trip to the hospital, and I’m so glad that we did. The kids were very happy to give out gifts of stuffed animals, Zhu Zhu pets, bendable elves, and holiday tattoos to about 30 kids at the hospital last night. Several of the kids were about their age and I think that really brought the message home for them.

Thanks very much to Sacred Heart Hospital and to Miss Angie, the sweet volunteer who gave up part of her own Christmas Eve to escort us around the children’s ward! We’ll see you again next year!

Hershey's For Halloween

Denise — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 23:10:00 GMT

Hershey's has some really neat packaging out for Halloween this year, but I must say that my favorite is the Reese's Pumpkins! Since the quads turn five this month, I plan to use some of these Hershey's candies to make goody bags for the kids in their class. I'm sure they're going to love them, and I'm happy to help out with any leftovers

Disclosure: This post was written in hopes of winning a Hershey's gift pack from the Mom Bloggers Club!

I Made the Reader Spotlight

Denise — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:22:00 GMT

I Heart Publix is one of my favorite blogs because Michelle, my bloggy BFF that runs the site, helps us to save SO MUCH money on our grocery budget. I'm thrilled that Michelle asked me to do her Reader Spotlight and her post about me is up today Thanks Michelle - you're the best!!

Project Tutorial: Simple Ribbon Hair Bows

Denise — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 18:07:00 GMT

The kids had their annual school pictures taken this week and I was really worried about how the girls hair is going to look in the photos. We put their hair up in a pony tail every morning before school, and every morning by the time we get to school it looks like they just rolled out of bed. They just can't keep their hands out of their hair and its usually a disaster within minutes of putting it up, but they're only four and they can't fix it themselves so I tried to figure out an easy way to keep it looking nice until after their pictures were made. I ended up creating these simple ribbon hair bows from some leftover 5/8" ribbon and bobby pins and the girls absolutely loved them, plus they were much easier to put back in place than a ponytail.

For each bow you will need to cut a 5 1/2" length of ribbon and 3/4" length of ribbon.

Fold the long ribbon with the raw ends in the middle and pin in place. Straight stitch through the center then pull the thread taut to gather the ribbon, then wrap the thread around the center several ties before tying a knot.

Wrap the short length of ribbon around the center of the bow, fold the raw edges under and pin then stitch in place.

Place the bobby pin on the back side of the bow with the flat side up and stitch in place at both ends and in the center. Now I can't wait to see how the pictures actually turned out! I'll keep you informed

Back to School for All FIVE Kids!

Denise — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:55:00 GMT

Wow - the day it seems like we've been waiting years for has finally arrived! Actually it was last week, ALL of the kids are in school this year with Jacob in the first grade and the quads in Pre-K. WHOOHOO!! They are all loving school, their teachers are wonderful, and they've been excited to get up and go each day. Just don't ask about Jacob and the homework Thank goodness for the uniforms, it's the one thing that makes mornings a little easier - everything mixes and matches.

Our Favorite Way to Enjoy S'Mores

Denise — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:08:00 GMT

We love to enjoy S'mores as a family because it's an activity that all of the kids can participate in, and of course they're just so yummy! Our favorite time to make S'mores is during our backyard cookouts, but they're also a great idea inside on a rainy day!

This post is my entry in a contest for a S’mores prize pack as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.

Jacob Celebrates His 6th Birthday!

Denise — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 07:01:00 GMT

Jacob had a blast today with his friends and family at his birthday party held at Chuck E. Cheese, then mom had a good time putting this short little video together!

Jacob Graduates From Kindergarten!

Denise — Thu, 20 May 2010 22:32:00 GMT

Today was Jacob's graduation day and he was SO thrilled that he "went to school a kindergartner and came home a 1st grader!" The ceremony was really sweet - the two graduating kindergarten classes got together and sang three songs before their commencement ceremony. We're very proud of you Jacob! Great job!

What I Love About Family Portraits

Denise — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:39:00 GMT

I was reading about this new book that just came out called "Awkward Family Photos" (about $9 on Amazon) and the pictures that I saw were absolutely hilarious, and unfortunately, remind me of most of the family photos that we take. We have more than one camera and we take tons of photos, but with five kids under five we RARELY get all of them in one shot. Of course our annual family photo usually turns into a story , like the year that Jacob got knocked down by the photographar and got a bloody nose, or the year that none of the kids would look at the camera so we were all looking at each other in our Christmas card picture. This year I think we're gonna change things up a bit and give Sears Portrait Studio a try, and not just because they are graciously offering one lucky winner a two day conference pass to BlogHer this August (but I WOULD give my right arm to go!) I've heard great things about them and I've always been a fan of Sears - so look out guys, I'm planning to bring the whole brood in this fall for a family photo that WON'T make it into the book!

Disclosure: This post is my entry in the Sears Portrait Studio BlogHer contest, all of the words and thoughts are my own but they have been written in the hope of winning a ticket.

Annual Strawberry Festival

Denise — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:46:00 GMT

The local annual strawberry festival is a two day event each year and is one of about 4 or 5 area festivals where we setup a booth to sell our honey. Since we live in the middle of the woods it's a little far for people to come buy our honey, but mother and I usually have a good time working the festivals - it's a change of pace from working at home a few times a year (and is just enough to make us REALLY appreciate the fact that we get to work from home ).

The problem with working the festivals is that the kids never get to go and have any fun at them because we're too busy setting up and working them. Well this year we had a super long winter and about 1 1/2 days of spring (it's already in the 80's and humid so I think spring is over!) so the bees didn't get to make very much honey before the festival. We ended up selling out of all but a few bottles on the first day and didn't have near enough to go back for the second day, so instead this year the kids got to go. They had a blast - they got to play a few games and rode a few rides, then were happy to get milkshakes on the way home before dropping hard for a nap

The Importance of a Family Vacation

Denise — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 18:16:00 GMT

The hubby and I had our last vacation in 2003. We'd been trying to start a family for a couple of years with no luck, so we decided to take a vacation to just "get away from it all" and relax. We didn't have the money to go far or do much so we drove down to south Florida and hit Disney, some nice restaurants and a few other hot spots, and it was AMAZING! The chance to have some downtime with no schedules and to do lists and just reconnect as a couple was awesome. Little did we know that it would be our LAST vacation for over seven years About ten months after that our first son was born, then just fifteen months after that we welcomed our BBGG quadruplets and it has been pretty much non-stop, round the clock ever since then.

The quads are four now and our oldest is five and thanks to a LOT of help and support from our family (thank you mamaw, papaw, nana and Aunt Diana!!!) we've all survived pretty much unscathed Since we've got one in kindergarten and the quads will be starting pre-k this fall, we're starting to realize that life as we know it with these kids is about to change dramatically once again and I'm feeling the need to slow it down a little and really take the time to enjoy my family. I believe that a family vacation, even one that's short or close to home, is a perfect way to do just that! What better way to create lifetime memories for your children, recharge your batteries, and remind yourselves how much you appreciate each other.

Disclaimer: I am writing this post to participate in the Golden Inn Resort “What is the importance of a Vacation” sweepstakes for a chance to randomly win a full conference ticket to Blogher 2010. You can learn more about the Jersey Shore Resort and contest at their blog http://www.GoldenInnResort.com/vacationtips.

Jacob is Healing Up from the Surgery!

Denise — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 20:09:00 GMT

Jacob had surgery to remove his adenoids and tonsils, and to have ear tubes put in both ears a couple weeks ago. We got lots of advice and info ahead of time and were as prepared as possible with the protein shakes and all the soft foods - but you're just never really prepared to see your child in so much pain. He did very well in the surgery although the doctor told us the adenoids were worse than he expected as they were growing up into Jacob's nasal cavities. When we got to see him in the recovery room he had a bloody nose and two of his teeth were missing (they were loose when he went in), but he has healed up very well and pretty quickly so we're all happy with that. He started back to school this last Wednesday and he's been like a whole new boy now that he's not having problems with his ears or the sleep apnea! Way to go Jacob!

Yay - It's Consignment Sale Season!

Denise — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:27:00 GMT

Since they were babies I've been shopping for most of the kids clothes at consignment sales and I'm excited that consignment season is here again! I have also sold their outgrown clothing and toys at the Pensacola Parents of Multiples consignment sale every year until this one. I just haven't had time between sick kids and everything else to get ready for the sale this year, but I'm still looking forward to shopping the sale! Here are a few of the local consignment sales coming up this week and next - leave a comment if you see any I've missed!

March 9 - 13: http://mom2momsale.net/Florida/home.htm

March 16-20: http://mom2momsale.net/Alabama/home.htm

March 20: http://pensacolapom.org/

March 19-20: Kidz Klozet behind Wings Sports Grille, Mobile, Alabama (this is a new clothing sale event)

See you there! Happy shopping

Whoohoo - the Quads Got Into Pre-K!!

Denise — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:23:00 GMT

I am STILL doing my happy dance! There were 25 applicants for the 18 available spots in the pre-k program at the school for this fall and I have REALLY been sweating it since for us it's all or nothing - if they only accepted three, or two then we couldn't send any of them. I am SO HAPPY to report that they all four got in - YEEHAW!!! Would it be terrible if I started counting down now?

500 Children's Books for $3 and Up at Walmart

Denise — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:44:00 GMT

The Birmingham News reported that WalMart.com is celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday and the 13th annual Read Across America day by offering children's books for $3 and up with free shipping for the rest of the month. Get more details and a list of books at WalMart.com.