Day 1 - $100 Challenge

Okay - I entered this challenge feeling very confident, but Day 1 did not really go that well.  I don't think my Day 1 food selection was very smart.  SOOOO much starch that it made me feel guilty and totally grossed out after dinner.  What was I thinking doing a potato chowder for lunch AND pancakes for dinner.  I thought the kids would love it (WHICH THEY DID), but there was little to no color in their food which is a good indicator of nutrition.

Also, I did some prep to load up the freezer a bit for snacks & lunches.  I bought a large can of pumpkin and knocked out a batch of oatmeal pumpkin muffins along with two loaves of pumpkin bread.  Again with the carbs.  Thankfully they always get carrots and cucumbers in their lunches.  Along with the pumpkin stuff, I have a great go-to freeze ahead pizza roll that I like to keep in the freezer.  The kids love them.  I was doing too much at once and did not notice that the timer went off...burning my pizza rolls.  HASTE MAKES WASTE.

That said, this morning I ran to Aldi's with only $20 to spend and I filled in my ingredients to add veggie soup so I can increase the nutritional value for the week.  That and I ran out of eggs and butter in two seconds plus Bax is complaining that he wants bagels.  Picky kids make this much more difficult than it should be.

Here is a recap of Day 1 with pics.  I did not edit the photos at all, so they look terrible.  Oh well.

Breakfast = Bird's Nest with apples

Lunch = Potato Corn Chowder with apples

Dinner = Pancakes with blueberry sauce (made from fresh in my fridge) and strawberry yogurt

 Snack Prep = Pizza Rolls that went south and Oatmeal Pumpkin muffins 

which seem to be a hit as per Baxter this morning.

$100 Challenge

It's been forever since I've written in here.  Years actually.  Well, I decided that this would be a good place share my $100 Challenge with my girlfriends.  Here's the deal....

A few weekends ago I was away with my college girls and I mentioned that I can feed the family for a week with about $100.  It's something I try to do most of the time, but it's not for the faint of heart.  Well, they did not believe me.  I mentioned that it included packed lunches for the kids.  NO WAY.  PROVE IT.

Gauntlet thrown.

The Rules:  I am allowed to use whatever is already in my cabinets and in the freezer.  That's the key, I stock up often at Sam's club or when there is a good meat buy, so I have some meat in my freezer.  I have to take pictures of every single meal on every single day.  They are prepared for everything to be disgusting...which it may be.

This morning I woke up, looked at my local grocery store flyer, surveyed the kitchen food in storage, and came up with a plan.  I just got home from shopping and spent $83.31.  This is going to be a Sunday to Saturday challenge starting tomorrow morning.  Fingers Crossed.

The Meal Plan (mostly the kids eat eggs or cereal for breakfast, so I am only outlining lunch & dinner)

Sunday
Lunch   = Quesadillas with applesauce
Dinner  = "Breakfast for Dinner" which will be pancakes with yogurt

Monday 
Lunch  = Ham & cheese sandwhiches, pickles, carrots, cucumbers
Dinner = Broccoli and cheese quiche with salad

Tuesday
Lunch  = Corn & potato chowder with cornbread muffins
Dinner = Bean burritos with salad

Wednesday
Lunch  = Pigs in blanket with veggies and yogurt
Dinner = Pork stir fry

Thursday
Lunch  = Pizza Rolls with veggies and apples
Dinner = Roast Chicken with asparagus and mashed potatoes

Friday
Lunch = Mac n Cheese with veggies
Dinner = Turkey tetrazini

Saturday
Lunch  = Catch as Catch can (that's what my mom used to say when we were winging it)
Dinner = Fried Rice

The Sacred Triple Nap

In their first year I remember reading that at around 2 - 2.5 years their naps will become longer;  this seemed like forever away.  Well, TADA, it's here!  We've got ourselves three marathon nappers which is totally awesome.  I put them down at 1pm and they sleep until 5pm; during which I sit on the couch and eat bonbons (AKA laundry, clean, garden, make phone calls, etc.).

The tricky thing with the 2 year old nap is that it's hard-earned and when not achieved it can be terrible.  Three 2 year olds without their naps usually means multiple triple tantrums later that day which is virtually impossible to deal with when I'm caring for them alone and am out and about.  Needless to say, I'm a bit of a "Nap Nazi" and follow the below little rules to achieve "The Sacred Triple Nap".

1)  Run them Ragged - We almost always get out of the house and into a park in the morning.  I have my go-to fenced in parks for when I'm alone and other special parks when the Grandmoms are helping.  If they have a skinned knee, they'll probably nap well.

2)  No Sneeky Snoozing - My three don't transfer from car-sleeping into a bedroom nap.  Some kids can, but mine do not.  This means that no one can accidentally fall asleep in the car... not even for two seconds.  If I'm more than a 10 minute car ride from the house (I have some girlfriends who live 30 minutes away) I save their snacking for the car (they need to be hungry) and dole out yummy treats every 15 minutes (this means stopping and re-snacking them).

3)  Lay Down the Naptime Rules - We have four naptime rules.  1) stay in your own beds 2) no hitting 3) no biting (I'm sorry to say we have one that has bitten) and 4) no excessive jumping.  Sometimes they want to play and don't fall asleep right away, but vigilance is the key here, so on rougher days I have to make a few visits for re-napping.  Another triplet mom posted "The Name of this Game is "MOMMY WINS!", after she won a long battle to get her kids down for a nap.  It really made me laugh. 

4)  Go for a Drive - Okay, it's not ALWAYS going to be a great nap day.  When I know they're tired and it's starting to unravel I pack them up and take a long drive out into the country.  This happens once in a while and is actually kind of nice.  In this event, I have to walk away from the house (we have a project-house that we just moved into) and enjoy some music as I explore new little roads and towns.  I often stop the car and take pictures like this.

aaaaahhhh, bath time

I used to fear bath time. Bath time equaled one too many slippery babies with way too much water. Each bath ended with my being completely exhausted and sweating from nervous energy and physical exhaustion. I could never consider doing it alone and it was a problem. Don't get me wrong, it was really cute at times, but I still feared it. That said, my babies were often slightly dirtier than other babies, but somehow the 2 year mark made all the difference for change. Perhaps it was a self-fulfilling prophecy that I created saying to myseld, "they're 2 now and they can all take a bath together and it will be fine." Perhaps. 

I recently took them up to the bath and everything changed. Suddenly they had the ability to control their bodies without the threat of knocking themselves or each other over, they were joyous and completely freaking out with excitement over the water, and they were totally happy and needed very little from me. That was the thing. I was able to sit back for a moment and watch. I was not stopping one hand from reaching for the faucet while catching another from slipping under while still watching one more out of the corner of my eye. I was actually stepping away and watching my three joyous two year olds enjoy a bath; enjoy the sensation of sitting and splashing or feeling droplets hit their faces when they accidentally turned on the shower. Suddenly this motherhood moment that I felt like I was somehow missing out on turned from "AAAAAAAHHHH BATH TIME" to "aaaaaahhh bath time".

Happy 2nd Birthday Alton, Baxter and Charlotte

It's been forever since I've done a blog entry, but I'm going to try to do one per week moving forward (at least for the their next year). My next post will be a general update on all that we've been up to, but right now, I just want to wish my three hilarious toddlers a very happy birthday. When I stop amidst all of our chaos and think back on everything, I can't help but feel amazed and grateful for how healthy they are and how much they've grown. We love you Alton, Baxter, and Charlotte.

Mom Report Card

So my second mother's day is almost over and it was lovely.  I hosted  a Mother's Day Brunch again this year since I simply love doing it.  Needless to say, I'm a little tired after preparing and entertaining...now to put my feet up and try to raise my low Mom score in ”Relaxing”.  (Mother's Day card pictured)

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you hard-working mommas out there. Here is an older pic of my mom with Scott, Laura, & I. Thanks for all you've done and continue to do for us Mom. We love you!

My mother is a poem I'll never be able to write, though everything I write is a poem to my mother. ~Sharon Doubiago