Mother's Day on a Budget

Here are a few ideas on how to have a enjoyable Mother's Day on a budget. 

Mother's Day does not have to break the bank, this can be a simple fun day for all family members. 

Speaking to the husbands out there now

1. Take the kids and wife to the park, a great way for the kids to run off some energy.

Free & the kids will love spending time with you this way 

2. Pick up some flowers for Mom, most local grocery stores have a great deal on flowers. If you can't afford any from the store, pick some from outside. 

3. Homemade Cards from the kids are sure to make Mom smile today. I just love the homemade ones. 

4. Mom would love to sleep in on Mother's Day, so while Mom is sleeping have the kids help make breakfast and serve her breakfast in bed. 

5. The Dollar Store is your friend on this one... they have many things Mom would love for Mother's Day. 

Simply create a pamper basket for example for under $10. 

6. Let Mom have some time to relax on Mother's day, prepare a warm bubble bath for her with candles lit. 

7. Take a picture of the kids and get a cheaper frame at the dollar store. 

8. Have the kids make had prints and make a picture of Mom. 

Remember it doesn't matter the amount you spend on Mom today just shower her with LOVE. 

Weekend Getaway in Pittsburgh PA

I surprised my husband with a weekend Getaway trip to Pittsburgh. He is a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan and I knew he would love this trip. Planned 3 months in advance and got a discounted rate for the weekend we stayed. Also I planned our weekend around the Heinz Field Tour they gave us that Saturday. We had so much fun and really soaked up the moments with each other without our kiddos, we sure did miss and talk about them all weekend. A few other things we did in Pittsburgh was the Ducky Land and Sea Tour, Monongahela Incline, PNC Park Stadium. We agreed that we should do little weekend getaways about 4 times a year to re-connect without trying to juggle kids and work. Here are some pictures we took that weekend.

Family of Five 1st Christmas

Christmas times sure have changed along the course of our relationship. Do you remember the first Christmas with your sweet heart. It's a bit awkward because you don't really know this person yet, plus you don't want to spend to little, but then you don't want to spend too much. What about the Christmas season when you were engaged? The Christmas before the year we got married, we got engaged. Oh by the way the BEST Christmas gift I have received to date(asking to be someones wife). But what about the first Christmas with baby? I remember that year like it was yesterday. Our daughter turned 1 month old that Christmas. And because I was a SAHM(stay at home momma), we decided we would not buy each other gifts, we were still trying to figure out how to survive with now the 3 of us. But I remember how with very little gifts under the tree for only our daughter, how my husband reached around behind the tree and had a few small presents for me. I was shocked beyond words, we both agreed no gifts and yet here my amazing husband didn't want me to be without on Christmas. One of our most poor Christmas, was not even poor at all. I knew then in that moment that presents and gifts don't bring Christmas happiness, its the joy we found in each other and how we created our own family.

Here is a picture of our 1st Christmas Tree- a gingerbread theme Christmas 2009

Since then we have managed to become proactive about the Holiday season. However we didn't have a plan on how we went from buying for 1 kid to 3. This past year 2012 was our first Christmas with 3 kids and as a family of 5. My daughter just turned 3 and my twins were 9 months. I had no idea how much we should be saving, putting back or even spending on each kid? Do we buy them toys and clothes or no toys just the things they need? This is what we did, we set a limit to the dollar amount on all 3 kids, we then starting looking for the best deals in the paper and online. Also we needed to factor in our Christmas dinner cost and if we wanted to get each other present cost. My parents graciously gave us $200 to put toward the Santa gifts, which was a nice surprise and big help. I think we had a great first Christmas as a family of 5. And I can't wait for many more. Here is a few pictures from that Christmas Eve & Christmas Day 2012. 

Our 1st Family Vacation

This past summer we decided to take everyone on a family vacation. My husband and I were super excited since we opted out of a vacation last year due to the twins being so little. We did invite my parents to come vacation along with us. We headed to my favorite family spot Cape May NJ. I found a camping ground close to Cape May which was family oriented, which also rented cabins(due to us not having a camper). To make a long story short. It was a vacation nightmare. The cabin was way to small for 2 pack and plays, 2 highchairs and lacked the amount of space needed for our family of 5. My daughter spent most nights with my parents in their cabin due to lack or space. The AC unit seemed to only work half the time and my twins caught "The Croup"(another blog post another day). We did have some fun days, here are a few pictures. 

Here are a few tips on going to the beach with small kids:

Buy a cheap bath pool(my 1 twin hated the sand)

Bring baby powder to get sand off your body and things

Freeze water bottles the night before and pack them for your beach day. These will help keep family cool

Bring older comforter to place or lay infants for naps

Ask around to see if friends have any toddler tents

Pack snacks and even a lunch. Kids do get hungry

Have extra hands(Thanks mom & Dad)

Write A Letter To Disney Characters

I recently went to part-time at my office where I was working. With life changing from one child to now 3 we knew I would have to slow down and spend more time with our kids along with watching our families budget. I truly enjoy the afternoons where I do not have to return to work. I try and catch a small nap while my little ones are napping. Then I try and stick with a snack and a craft to help our day flow and also my daughter looks forward to craft time after her nap. 

So today we wrote letter to our favorite Disney Characters. I saw  a post on facebook where a mom had her daughter write to a Disney Princess and the Princess wrote her back. I researched it a bit more and found out you can write to any character and they will send your child something back in the mail. 

I helped my boys draw a picture and send to Sulley from Monsters Inc. And my daughter Tangled the Rapunzel Princess. We should expect something in the mail in about 4-6 weeks. 

Take Lots Of Pictures

I must have heard it a million times while pregnant with my daughter... "they grow up so fast" or "Enjoy every moment because it happens way to fast". You know you have heard these comments too. And at first when we were getting up 5 times a night for feedings and my daughter had her days and nights mixed up, I thought this season in time is going to last forever! Now as this new fall season approaches I find myself planning my daughter's 4th Birthday party. Wow how this was so true..."they grow up so fast". They sure do. Here is my tip for you. Enjoy every moment of every stage of every age. And if you find a rough patch in a stage just remember this... This will not last forever this is just a short amount of time. And remember take lots of Pictures!!!

Brooke 1 Month Old-2009

My Beautiful Brooke Today 2013

And my Boys

My Austin & Bentley 1 Day Old- 2012

Austin & Bentley 1 Year Old-2013

Including Big Sister

With the arrival of my twin sons, life as we knew it was never going to be the same. My daughter couldn't prepare for what life would be like with not just one new baby but two. I'm truly grateful of how well my daughter has done since we brought the twins home. She has been so warm and loving to both of them. However I try and have as much Mommy-Brooke time as I possibly can. I INCLUDE her in almost everything, whether it is with the babies or not. I don't hold my twins very much with Brooke home,(they are to the point where they are rolling over anyways), but I really try to make it about her.

Here is a list of examples you can include your older siblings to help with

Baking

Bath Time

Laundry

Mopping floors

Grocery Shopping

Picking up Toys

Washing Veggies

Dusting

Entertaining Baby

Helping Feed Baby

Watering Garden/flowers

 

 

 

             

Parent's Night Out

With having 5 month old twins and a 3 year old toddler I rarely have 5 minutes to myself. But recently my husband and I were invited out to dinner since having our new babies. We went to our local Melting Pot which I consider an upscale restaurant. We took 2 hours eating and drinking and having a great time without having any little ones. It was nice to not have to worry about the kids. I recommend after you have a baby to go and have a nice dinner night with friends and without the kids.

Skin to Skin with Twins

The first thing I wanted to do after meeting my twins in the Operating Room was hold them skin on skin. I knew this was very important and something I missed out on with my daughter. Studies show importance to skin on skin after birth which include but not limited to, baby's temperature will be more stable and normal, stable blood sugars, breastfeeding starts sooner, babies are being exposed to normal bacterias on moms skin lastly skin on skin contact with mommy after birth helps baby transition into life outside of the womb.

Here is a picture of me in Recovery with my sons, you can see his hand on my chest, we did start breastfeeding very quickly after surgery.

Then once we got into our room I am doing skin on skin with my 1 son, while my husband did "The Kangaroo Technique" with my other son.

Easy Guacamole Recipe

This is a simple quick Guacamole recipe, which I loved during my twins Pregnancy. Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. Which is always welcomed when expecting.

Easy Guacamole Recipe

3 Avocados- Peeled, Pitted & Mashed

1 Lime-Juiced

1/2 cup of diced Onion

3 Tablespoons chopped Cilantro

2 Roma Plum Tomatoes-diced

1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic

In a Medium bowl mash the avocados and add the lime juice. Then mix in the Onions, Cilantro, tomatoes and Garlic.

Refrigerate for 1 hour. And then serve with carrots and celery.

Which Diapers to use?

Before I gave birth to my daughter, I decided I would strictly use Pampers Diapers. On my baby registry that is what I put for gift suggestions, also I told my family that is what type of diapers I was planning on using. Now 3 kids later and with 5 month old twins, I honestly don't care what type or brand we are using. But a good brand I feel does everything a diaper needs to do it LUVS. It's a savings on my wallet yet doing it's job with keeping everyone clean and dry.

Meeting Ina May Gaskins

This past spring I had the honor of meeting the great Ina May Gaskin, who is the founder and director of The Farm Midwifery Center in Summertown Tennessee. Which is one of the first out of the hospital Birth Centers in the United States. Ina May has attended over 1200 births and is the author of many great books. Three that I own and read personally.

Look for these great reads:

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding

Spiritual Midwifery

Birth Matters

Bathing Twins

Bathing more then one baby is never going to be easy. With twins or more this event can be just that an "event". This is still one of my least favorite tasks with my twins.  It's a lot of work and prep for something that only last 15 minutes. However here are some tips I learned the past 4 months:

-Have extra help from your spouse or older child, this might seem small but having extra arms is always a great thing.

-If using a bath mat chair, put a clean wash cloth over it when bathing baby number 2, this helps the second baby stay dry if the chair is wet.

-Have all your bath supplies ready, and in arms reach.

Bonding with Twins

Bonding is something every mother and newborn needs during the first year of life, however so many moms of multiples are finding it harder and harder to bond these days. I think with a few simple yet powerful steps, any mother of a newborn can bond even if you have more than one.

So here is what you need to know:

First if you are pregnant with multiples try and stay pregnant as long as possible. My twin pregnancy was amazing and I delivered at 36 weeks. The longer the babies are in the womb the healthier they should be at birth outside the womb. My twins were never taken away from me to the NICU which made it easier to bond.

Second have your babies to your breast almost immediately! This is a natural away both mother and baby bonds. Also the skin on skin contact with your newborn baby is key in keeping your babies temperature normal. With Twins have your partner take their shirt off and do the same skin on skin, this helps dads bond also. Plus you can always ask for the nurses or dad to help you hold both babies at your skin at the same time. It's very natural to want to have both breastfeeding at the same time or just near you.

Third once in your room with visitors, limit the amount of people holding your babies. Use your time in the hospital for bonding and nursing, while of course recovering. The more the babies are with you the more bonding time and emotions you will have. This is hard because everyone wants to hold your brand new babies, however bottom line is these babies need their momma!

Lastly don't forget about DAD. Dads are great with twins and bonding, they can always be bonding with one while you have the other. My husband and I would really enjoy once visiting hours where over because that meant just our time with the babies.

mamaRoo

I found this amazing looking swing at a " baby" Bed Bath & Beyond in Lancaster PA when I was 6 months pregnant with my twins. Since I already  saved my first swing from my daughter I knew I wanted one of these to have for the second time around.

This is the mamaRoo swing, by 4 moms. I never seen anything like this at my local BabiesRus or Walmart. This was pretty cool, with the reclined seat that looks like a bean shape, and the 5 unique motions, I knew this was a must have on my registry list. My son's favorite motions are the Car Ride and Tree Swing. It also comes with built in nature sounds, along with the connection for any MP3 player. Retail price is $199.99. I have not seen it any cheaper anywhere else. Amazon is about the same price along with shipping. However we did get so money off when we used a 20% coupon I got in the mail from Bed Bath & Beyond.

Here is my son Bentley who loves our mamaRoo!

The Big Sister

My biggest concern with bringing two newborns home was my 2 year old daughter. She was and still is the apple of my eye. She was the first grand-baby on both sides and was every ones little princess. I was worried what my daughter would think and feel when Mommy would have to stay in the hospital for a few days, we started to talk about it more and more as I got closer to my due date. I also worried how jealous she might become when the boys came home to live at her house. I knew this was going to be a big change for her, for all of us. Surprisingly my daughter did amazing with the transition with the twins. She came to see us the day after they were born, and was so excited to see them and hold them. She also missed me and while others held the twins me and her got to spend some time together. Family members helped out watching her overnight so my husband could stay in the hospital with me. I arranged play date with my friends and family for her during the days.

 My daughter has done great from the moment she met her brothers, I've had no jealously issues at all. She is my mother hen here at home! 

Twins BIRTH Day

When I found out I was having Twins my plan of a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) went out the window. I didn't think having a natural birth with twins was right for me. I also considered a Home birth which again with twins I didn't feel was right for me. I went along a scheduled a c-section, after my due date, yes that sounds different and it was. In my OBGYN practise there are 12 different doctors I wanted to schedule my delivery with the one I wanted and the only day he had available was 3 days after my due date. I knew in the back of my mind I would never make it to my due date and have to take the chance on who would deliver my babies.


At 36 weeks on Friday March 2nd I went to the hospital for my 4th regular Nonstress Test, which is normal with a mom pregnant with multiples. I was hooked up to the monitors and was clear after an hours of monitoring the babies heartbeats. I mentioned to the nurse I had been crappy the last 2 days and they wanted me to stay and have a midwife on call check me. The midwife came in and stated I was 4cm dilated. My heart kinda skipped a beat, I knew that wasn't the answer I needed to go home, she called my OBGYN on call doctor and he said for me to stay 2 hours and re-check me to see if I continued to progress if so I would be meeting my babies today. To make a long story short I called Hubby he came with overnight bag she waited upstairs was recheck and I was 5cm. So my doctor told us our c-section would be a 3pm that day.


Around 12:30 I met the Anesthesiologist and he informed me he would see me in the operating room soon. I was very nervous I thought it wasn't going to be until 3 now it was in a few minutes. I was prepped which included IV's,shaving,signing papers and changing into a gown. I was then told I would walk to the operating room. My husband was taken aside so he could change in his uniform scrubs. I sat on the table I was told I would get my spinal, and lay right down. I felt the warmness and heavy feeling in my legs which the anesthesiologist said I would. Ryan then ended and sat right at my head. I then started vomiting at random, my husband told me it was because my blood pressure dropped fast. Then before I knew it I was fine and I heard babies crying. My husband then went over and helped hold up my 2 newborn sons to me it was a great feeling. Here are a few of my picture of their birth.

Expecting Twins

It took myself a good 10 weeks to settle with the idea of Twins. The Roller Coaster of emotions started at the 8 weeks ultrasound. After that I had a hard time thinking about  2 babies at the same time. It was very very overwhelming. But soon the scary feelings subsided and I started to feel more and more blessed to have a body that could carry multiple babies. Then at our 18 weeks ultrasound we found out we were having 2 baby boys. As the months went on we became more and more excited for the arrival of our new babies. I had many ultrasounds which I wasn't prepared for, which the doctors say is "normal". At my last ultrasound my Baby B was in the breech position and it was recommended to move ahead with a c-section. I was very healthy during my twins pregnancy, gained 15lbs and carried my twins to 36 weeks 4 days. Then on March 2nd going to the Hospital for my routine none stress test, I was told I would be having my babies today!

Back with Double the Blessings!

My break from blogging took longer then I thought! My last post was in August 2011. Thank you for waiting patiently for my return. In August 2011 I learned I was pregnant for the second time. I also found out I was carrying 2 babies at one time. TWINS became the word of the day at my second ultrasound in my OBYGN's office. Soon the shock of twins was put on hold when the doctor told me my Baby B was not going to survive, for the baby's heart was too weak and would be gone at our 12 week ultrasound. We felt crushed, not only did you just tell us I am having twins but then you tell me one is going to not make it. Out hearts were heavy as we left the office. I remember the car ride home was quite and very emotional, I remember my husband starting to cry tell me he was sorry it was his fault. I told him it was no ones fault and I knew God would only give us what we could handle. We decided to go right out to his parent's to explain the journey we had ahead of us. I was 8 weeks pregnant and we hadn't told anyone I was pregnant. They we taking us down south that night and did not have much to say, other then did we still want to go to the beach. We wanted to keep everything the same and not change our plans mostly for our 2 year old daughter whom was looking forward to going to the ocean.

 My case was called Vanishing Twin Syndrome-A vanishing twin, also known as fetal resorption, is a fetus in a multi-gestation pregnancy which dies in utero and is then partially or completely reabsorbed by the twin.

Time would soon tell, and now we prepared for a loss at our 12 week ultrasound. As the ultrasound Tech. started moving across my belly said "This is Baby A and over here is Baby B". I was shocked, here was this little flicker of a heart beat and a black sac which according to the doctors wouldn't and shouldn't be there. Here we were pregnant with TWINS 2 healthy TWINS.

And You Think 280 Days is Bad?

I know what you are thinking at the end of your 40 weeks of pregnancy which equals 280 days. Come on please lets get this baby out, I'm tired of being pregnant. But listen to this it takes a female elephant 600+ days to carry their newborn. Other animals take longer then us humans also. A whale is 490 days gestation, Giraffe 450 days, Camel 405 days, Zebra 365 days, Horses 336 days, Buffalo 285.

Now on the hand the following animals have much less days then we humans. Mice have only 19 days to carry their babies, Rabbit 33 days, Squirrel 40 days, Kangaroo 42 days, Cat 62 days, Dogs 65 days and a Lion only 108 days gestation.

So now aren't you glad your not an elephant!