One of me, FOUR of YOU!

It feels like I'm constantly being pulled in a million different directions every day. I feel like I'm stuck on repeat as I keep telling my kids, "there's only one of me and FOUR of you". I know they don't yet understand why Mama can't change their diaper, refill their drink, snuggle or hold them right this second.

I feel terrible when I have to choose which request is most important. I want my Children to all feel important to me always! This is such a hard season since I'm nursing Adee and thus can't just put her down and plop a bottle into her mouth, not that I would do that anyway. I get so frustrated having to decide if I should stop nursing Adee to change a diaper or tickle a tummy of one of my older kiddos. I just pray that they feel my love all the time. I try my hardest to get in good quality time with each of my kids and take notice when one of them is having an especially clingy day - that's my cue to try a little harder! I just pray for grace to make it through the days alone with all four of them! The housework will probably be pushed to the wayside because the dust bunnies can wait while I'm loving on my Babies!

Major Mama Meltdown

I've been struggling with my emotions a lot the last few weeks/months. I'm very exhausted all the time, even after sleeping a full 7-8 hours each night. I find myself getting frustrated over silly things and have zero patience for my children. In turn I'm frustrated with myself and then sad. I'm just really overly emotional. I figure part of it is because my body is tired from either pregnancy or breastfeeding for the past 4 years straight. It's a lot of work and my body is having a hard time keeping up. I am concerned that it's partly perinatal depression as well but am keeping open lines of communication with my family so as to avoid any issues. Yesterday started out good. Naptime is when things went down hill quickly. Some days my boys will go to sleep without a single word and other days, like yesterday, they flat out refuse to sleep and instead make a huge mess. I let them stay in their room yesterday because they were quietly singing and talking/giggling with each other. Turns out they were actually breaking into their closet, which we keep locked to prevent them from destroying it. They emptied all the clothes off the shelves they can reach and then proceeded to climb onto the next shelf. I'm feeling overwhelmed with life as it is and just snapped when I saw the mess. There's a family history of abuse or taking discipline too far and I'm aware of these tendencies. So, I shut their closet doors and closed them back in their bedroom so I could take a minute to breathe. After a few minutes to cool down, bad idea, I went back in to begin clean up; only to find them back in the closet up on the shelf. I again lost it and didn't even know what to do. I brought them out of their room and tried to explain why it wasn't ok to do what they had done. I was so frustrated and could feel my blood beginning to boil. I had a full blown Mama Meltdown! My Husband graciously came home from work so I could escape for a few hours. I needed that time to refocus and remember they're only 3 and 2. They are children and are still learning. We've discussed implementing Mama's day, or few hours, off to save sanity but never really put it into practice. I think that's going to have to change. I will need to be my own advocate and ask for the time off. I need to take the time off and get away. It will make everyone happier and healthier if Mama is balanced and relaxed. I had been going on nightly walks, 2-4 miles long, and that was helping. Due to storms and the kids going to bed late I had missed the walks for almost a week and that was obviously too long. I need to make that a priority I now see! How often do you take time off to get away without kiddos? What do you do during your time off?

Day 1 of TV FREEDOM!

So yesterday, Monday, was day 1 of our week free from TV. Here's an overview of how our day went: The boys slept in until about 8:00am, which was nice! Upon waking I made them breakfast, which they never really eat. We played with lego's for about half an hour and then switched to train tracks and trains for another 30 minutes or so. Around 10:00am we headed outside to play. We stayed out in the back yard playing in the pool's and sprinkler until about 11:30, when we came inside for lunch time. Lunch was eaten around noon. After lunch is always nap time, so we made it half way through our day being TV FREE! Here's where the day goes SOUTH! The boys didn't take a nap, instead the broke into their closet and completely emptied all of the shelves and then proceeded to climb on the shelving. I had a meltdown and ended up escaping for a few hours. The boys took their nap, thanks to their Daddy, while I was gone. I got back and started on dinner where the TV was turned on, not by me, but I didn't even notice it right away....that's how commonplace TV has become in this house. They watched one half hour show. We had supper and then went swimming at the beach. Ok, so they did watch ONE show and that's more than I had wanted BUT it was a rough day for me emotionally, another post more about that, and I had help from Daddy who didn't know we were trying to go TV free. I think all-in-all it was a success. Today is a different story since it's raining. I'm hoping home-made playdoh will keep them busy for a few hours, plus more lego's, trains, dinosaur's, reading and hopefully successful nap time!

Potty training WOES!

Jacobi is 3.5 years old. He's intelligent in so many ways. He's funny, kind, energetic, he's all boy! I've been working with Cobi, to get him potty trained, for quite some time now. It seems like he's trained and then he has another seizure and ends up reverting back to diapers. I'm so frustrated and am not sure how to go about potty training him completely. He knows when he needs to use the toilet. He knows how to go on the toilet. He knows how to "hold it". I'm just not sure how to get him back to using the toilet consistently after he's had another seizure. I don't want to rush him, yet I know he's capable of no longer wearing diapers. I guess I should just jump back in and get him going on the toilet again. It's just so frustrating to see him take 1 step forward and then 4 steps back. The other part of the problem is that he's never had a bowel movement on the toilet. He'll urinate in the toilet great but has never poo'd in the toilet, always in his underwear. I'm thankful he'll still have bowel movements vs. holding it in but I just don't know how to get him to do that in the toilet. He gets a small treat, usually an M&M for urinating and he knows he'll get 2 M&M's for poo but still goes in his underwear. I'm not quite sure how to stop this habit. Lord, give me wisdom to know how to get this child to poo on the pot!!! If you've got any tips I'm all ears! Please share with me how you got your little ones potty trained! Micah is next up and Shaelyn isn't far behind! I'm hoping they'll be easier since they get to watch their big brother. Shaelyn already sits on the little kiddie toilet anytime we're in the bathroom. We'll see how long it takes her to pick it up! Thank you Lord for wisdom!

Shoot the TV?

Something that's been weighing on me a lot lately is how much TV is viewed in our home, especially by my children. I really hate how much TV they watch everyday. I've gotten us into this terrible habit of immediately turning on the TV when they wake up so I can make breakfast. Then they watch more TV after coming in from being outside so I can make lunch. Nap is followed up by more TV and a snack. And then after playing outside, more TV while I make dinner, usually followed by a bedtime show. See what I'm saying? It adds up so quickly and I literally get sick thinking about it. I always said I wouldn't let my kids watch TV period and yet, look how much they do watch it. So, I'm placing our TV under a blanket, literally, and vowing to not turn on the television at all next week! A full week, Monday - Friday, since we don't watch as much on the weekends because we're out running errands and I have more help. I'm praying for the grace and endurance to get through the week! It really seems scary to me because we're so used to it. I know like any bad habits or routines, they just need broken and replaced with better habits. So, I've created/modified the schedule we used when I ran my in-home childcare and we'll be following that. If you have any creative activities I can add that will help keep our minds off television and our bodies and brains working, I'm all ears! Here is the basic schedule we will try to stick to: 7:00am (Man they wake up early!) Change diapers & get dressed 7:30am Free play, while Mom makes Breakfast - we have a gazillion toys they can choose from to play with! 8:00am Breakfast & Clean Up 8:30am Free Play, while Mom does dishes and laundry 9:00am Walk to & Play at the Park! 11:00am Walk home 11:30am Free Play, while Mom makes lunch 12:00pm Lunch Time 12:30pm Clean Up, Diaper Changes, Nap routine 1:00pm - 3:00pm NAP - Mom can nap or clean 3:00pm Diaper changes, snack prep, head outside 3:30pm - 5:00pm Outside Free Play - swimming, chalkboard art, sand fun, etc 5:00pm Arts & Crafts, while Mom cooks Dinner - Can be painting, play-doh, coloring books, etc 6:00pm Dinner & Clean Up, Dishes 7:00pm Outside Bonfire or Free Play 8:00pm Bath Time 8:30pm Read Together 9:00pm BED TIME! I'm hoping I can keep up with this schedule and avoid the TV. Please pray for us, seriously! Please send me any creative idea's you use with your children to keep them entertained. I plan on trying out GAK and utilizing Pinterest as much as I can! I'm also hoping the schedule will give me more energy since I'll know what's coming next vs always trying to do things spur of the moment with Irish Triplets!

Prayers for the homeless

The kids had a visit with their pediatrician today to check up on some bugs they've been dealing with. On the way home we passed a homeless woman on the side of the road. My oldest asked who she was and why she was standing there. So I tried my best to explain that she's having a hard time with life right now. I offered him the chance to pray for her suggesting he include a good job, home, food and freedom from any addictions she may have. His prayer brought tears to my eyes. He's only 3 years old and is already so tuned into the Lord. He truly enjoys lifting up other's in prayer! He's the true epitome of child-like faith. Whenever I'm feeling ill or tired he'll ask, "Jesus, heal Mama, AMEN". He then immediately expects me to feel 100% again. He knows that Jesus said He would heal so we will be healed. I think I need to have more of than child-like faith that believes beyond a shadow of a doubt, that whatever I ask for in prayer will be granted! Thank you Lord for the heart of my children who are constantly teaching me how to seek you more feverantly!

Patty Cake Baby!

Shaelyn playing patty cake!

Breakfast is the most unhealthy meal of our day.

Last night we took the kids to Subway for dinner. We always get them a cookie but they only get the cookie if they eat all of their sandwich. Well, they did not eat all of their sandwiches so the cookies stayed in the bag. Normally, prior to this pregnancy and my workout & healthy food obsession, I would have taken care of them, by eating them myself, after the kids went to bed. Well, I did not this time. Roll on to this morning. The kids are up and STARVING at 7:30am and I'm still exhausted. While trying to figure out breakfast my children found their cookies from last night. And what do I do about it? Turn a blind eye and let them eat, of course! I figure I can make up for it with super nitrient sense foods later on. And no, I don't feed them cookies for breakfast ever! How do you feel about letting your kids eat junk foods like cookies?

Baby is not a baby anymore....Shaelyn's a big girl!

Shaelyn Faith, where do I even begin? She's our most easy going child! She's got the Joy of the Lord in her and everybody knows it!!! She's a gorgeous little girl inside and out. She's Mama's big helper, always taking things to the garbage, bringing her brothers cups or snacks, and cuddling with whomever needs it! She's constantly trying to make us laugh and is always successful! She's not sleeping through the night consistently yet but she's only 1 so we're not worried, just tired! She started walking early, uses her silver wear well and talks more than any 1 year old I know. Her current vocabulary includes: Mama Daddy Oma Mikee (Micah) Cobi Eta (Beca) Baba Ball Bottle Kitty Puppy Please Thank you Up Down Swing Yea Stuck Snack Cookie No I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting.... Her desire to do as her big brothers do is causing a lot of anxiety for the adults in her life. She loves climbing the play set in the back yard to slide down the big slide....it's scary high but she does really well. She's able to swing on a big kid swing like her brothers, although not as high. She's eating foods we don't think she should be able to consume considering she's only got 3.5 teeth. She's just a doll and we love having her in our lives. We can wait to see what she'll be like as a Big Sister!!!

Talking, Loving and getting to know Micah!

Micah is now 2 years old! He's the sweetest little boy you've ever met. He's always checking on those around him and loves to share, in his timing of course. He's learning so much really quickly and somewhat overwhelming us with his new found knowledge! Micah was a slower walker and a slower talker than his big brother and little sister but he's definitely making up for it now. He wasn't late with his walking or talking, just not early. He was perfectly on time! He's no slouch in the language department now and he loves showing off his new words! I'm always amazed with what comes out of his mouth. Micah is a ham just like his brother and sister. He loves taking pictures and being silly. He was always more reserved and "shy" but he's definitely coming into his own and coming out of his shell more and more! His favorite moments are either spent running like a mad man around the room or snuggled up with someone he loves. He wears his emotions on his sleeve for the world to see. When he gets upset the neighborhood knows it. He's got a scream cry that could set off car alarms! He loves playing with his animals or his trains, his sister's dolls or his books. He plays so contentedly by himself but can play so well with others as well! He loves his puppy, Chloe. Micah is definitely our sleeper. He is so much like his Mama in that he needs loads of sleep to be happy. He sleeps all night and takes great 3 hour afternoon naps! Swinging is another favorite for Micah. He will literally spend all day on the swing if we're willing to push him. I'm not sure I've ever seen another child like swinging as much as he does!! He's still working on using his spoon and fork with meals. He's a great eater and loves food, to the point of not slowing down to use the silver wear. Come on folks, fingers are way faster! Fruit is his all time favorite but meats really trip him up. Overall Micah is just an awesome little man. We're so blessed to call him ours and love every minute we have with him!!!

Seizures, Potty Training and just being Cobi

It's the middle of June and I'm not even sure when I posted the last blog....sorry! So, I'm going to go ahead and update you all on each of the three kiddos and then our family as a whole. Being the first born child has its advantages and one is going first! Jacobi is 3 & 1/2 years old now! It still amazes me that God chose to bless us with such a rambunctious, strong-willed, loving, intelligent child! Cobi has started potty training a few times and does well each time but health issues continue to cause set backs. He knows how to go potty on the toilet and knows the signals but each time he gets sick we back off and then it takes a while to get him interested again. We're still having issues with #2 reaching the pot but obviously he won't be 10 and still in diapers....or so I'm told! Speaking of health issues; Cobi has now had a total of 5 seizures. His latest seizure was in the ER in front of the nursing staff. Seizing is one way to get brought straight back to a room. His seizures have all been classified "febrile" because they occur during high fevers. For some reason Cobi spikes insanely high fevers for relatively mild illnesses like ear infections, which caused the last fever, and strep throat. We were finally referred to a neurologist and Cobi had an EEG done. He was awake for the entire traumatic event so they didn't get the full testing abilities since most abnormal brain activity happens while sleeping....learned that new thing! His EEG was normal so he's been diagnosed with "Simple Clonic Tonic Febrile Seizures". This basically means that he has grand mal, or full body shaking, during a seizure that is brought on by fever. We have a medication to use if he has any seizures lasting more than 3 minutes but thankfully his previous seizures have been around 2 minutes or so, even though it feels like hours during the seizing. These seizures tend to peak around age 3 and then should taper off and disappear by 5 or 6. We're praying he has NO more seizures! Cobi is extremely strong-willed and outgoing. He's rough and tumble but loving and kind. He loves to pray for healing for anyone. He's come out with some hilarious quotes that make us burst into tears! Some of his funnies are: "Mom, they're just cars. They're not naughty, just cars". - Said to me while I was getting frustrated with other drivers! "I'm not a chair, I'm Cobi". - Said to Micah while being sat on! He quotes movie lines just like his Daddy and he's always spot on with the comedic timing. We love him to pieces and pray we're doing a good enough job raising him!

Kids have such an innocent view of love!

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Yelling is my downfall!

I try to be a "Peaceful Parent" in that I don't view spankings as effective for my children, I try to give my children control of their lives, whenever possible, vs always being the dictator Mama, and I despise yelling at my children. As much aa I hate yelling at my little ones it happens daily, sometimes hourly. I recently read an article, that I will share below, giving tips on how to avoid yelling while parenting children. I have to say that the Author hit the nail on the head. She believes that parents/adults yell when they've seemingly run out of alternative options. I must say that my yelling always comes when A) more than 1 child is needing assistance or "melting down" at a time B) I'm tired C) I'm nursing my DD. I get overwhelmed, frustrated, upset that I can't make all right with the world, or at least my 3 little people. What I'm slowly learning is that yelling only revs up the situation. Yelling raises the stress and tension in an already tender moment. So, I've decided to take on a "Whisper Challenge". Next time a situation arises where I feel the urge to yell I will simply whisper instead. I'm sure my children will be caught off guard and probably find it quite humorous. How do you diffuse a stressful moment without yelling?
http://www.authenticparenting.info/2011/12/10-things-not-to-do-to-upset-child-and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AuthenticParenting+%28Authentic+Parenting%29&utm_content=Google+Reader&m=1">">

Life gets so busy!

I started this blog in hopes of writing down the funny, good, bad, happy, sad, and every other emotion in between when it comes to my family! I've become so busy and overtaken by the day-to-day duties of my wonderful Husband, 3 children under 3 years old, a cat, a Dog, dishes, laundry, cooking, bills, pregnancy and everything else that life entails that I've forgotten to stop and relish in these moments!

So here goes:

My Husband, Jeremy, is an amazing Partner, Father, Hard-working Man of God! He truly lifts me up when I am weak, reminds me to be content in our here & now, keeps me sane, and most importantly, he loves me despite my MANY flaws! He's a great sounding board who supports my incessant research and gab fests about everything from pregnancy and delivery to vaccines and vitamins! He's the love of my life and I still can't believe I get to be his Wife! This January 26th marks our 5th year Anniversary! During our fifth year od wedded bliss we'll have 4 children, 3 pets (technically I'm counting the tank of fish as 1 pet), 2 paid-off vehicles, and 1 roof over our heads to be thankful for!

Jacobi is now 3 years old and while he can be rough and tumble like any boy, he loves to be the comforter! He's fascinated with letters, dinosaurs, and painting with his hands. He prays for us when we're sick or injured believing God will heal! He can count to 10 and knows random letters, although colors are still sketchy. He thoroughly enjoys running and can't get enough time outside. He's an absolute blessing and we're so thankful for our Cobi!

Micah is just 3 months shy of being 2 years old! He's got an incredibly sensitive heart and while he doesn't cuddle too often, it melts your heart when he does. He's learning more and more words everyday and constantly surprising us with his budding vocabulary. His favorite past time as of now is playing with his big lions, elephants, and giraffes! He's so patient with his little sister, letting her massage his head almost daily. He too loves running and playing outside as much as possible. He's our best eater and can clear his plate 2 or 3 times each meal.

Shaelyn is 9 months old! She's been in our arms now as long as she was in my womb. Such a bittersweet time! She's been crawling since 6 months and can cruise around the furniture with ease. She's waving, kissing, high-fiving, and saying basic words like "Mama" "Bye Bye" and "Hi". She's a cuddler and a lover! Still nursing although getting better at taking a bottle. She's also a good eater who loves grapes, carrots, green beans, crackers, and stealing whatever food or beverage her older Brothers have! She's sleeping in her own bed now & doing so well....no cry it out for that little love-bug! She's been a much needed addition to our household!

We're currently 9 weeks pregnant with our next child! We won't be finding out the gender of this baby until D-day! Cobi thinks Boy and although we'll love whatever, we're hoping another Girl to even it out! I guess we'll see come July!

Painful lessons taught by my 2 year old!

The other day Cobi and I went to Target to buy a few things. It was a great date with just Cobi! We gathered everything we wanted to buy and headed to the check-out. Cobi has learned that we have to pay for things before we can take them/open them/eat them, etc. We paid for everything and walked out to the car..... Upon reaching the car Cobi pulled out a pair of dress shoes he had picked out for his sister, Shaelyn. The shoes had fallen in between him and the side of the cart and I hadn't noticed them at check-out so we didn't pay for them. Cobi immediately says, "Pay for it? We not pay for it". I honestly wanted to just put them in the van and drive away. I wanted to look at it as a "blessing from above". I didn't want to walk back into the store and pay the $8.00 they cost. I quickly wrestled the above emotions and decided that I want my Son to grow up knowing it's wrong to steal regardless of if it was "stolen" on purpose or on accident. So....we turned around and headed back into the store to pay for it! I went back to the same lady who had checked us out the first time and explained the situation. She gave me the oddest look, as if to say, why on earth didn't you just take them and GO!?! I told her I wanted my Son to learn right lessons from a young age. She did thank us for our honesty. As tough as it was to not run away with the free shoes it felt great to know that when Cobi is older I can honestly tell him we don't steal....regardless of the situation! I know he probably won't ever remember that day or those shoes, but I pray he'll learn how to act rightly!