One of the most difficult parts of having multiples is feeling like each one is lost in the mix at times. I want each of my precious children to feel important, treasured, unique, special. I'm always amazed at how completely different they seem one-on-one. I see facets of their personalities during those rare moments that I miss when they are all together. And I see the way their own self-confidence shines when they get to be the star for a while.
We've been trying to give Nana and Pop (my parents) time to enjoy that as well. So today was Sweet Pea's Special Day. I dropped her off this morning and didn't get her until about 5:15 this evening. She had a very full day! She and Nana made cookies and packaged them in pretty hand-decorated paper bags to bring back for Snap and Split. They had tea parties (or, as Sweet says, "played with the tea pot tings"). They went out to lunch with Pop. They took a nap together. They had storytime on the front porch swing. A wonderful day indeed. And Sweet Pea seemed so grown-up when she came home. She couldn't wait to show her "brudders" their treats! "I made these just for you, boys." "Now say thank you to your sister." "I make good cookies with Nana. Tell me that, boys." I *ahem* have no idea where she gets this bossy streak.
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Our friend, Robert Ridgell, is a musical genius (aka "nuts"). Totally. He's also the organist at Trinity Wall Street Church in NYC. For this Sunday's postlude, he broke out his own tribute to the King of Pop. And...wow.
1 12-ounce box crispy corn and rice cereal (I prefer to use the wheat cereal or some whole-grain variety)
1 1/2 cups mixed nuts
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp.ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp.ground ginger
1 1/2 cups chocolate-covered raisins
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Stir cereal and nuts together in large roasting pan. Set aside.
In saucepan, stir together brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and spices. Cook until butter is melted and mixture is smooth.
Pour sugar mixture over cereal/nuts. Stir until well-coated.
Bake for 30-minutes, stirring once.
Spread onto butter tin foil and allow to cool COMPLETELY (very important). Break into pieces, if necessary.
Add chocolate chips and chocolate-covered raisins.
Keep in airtight container for up to 1 week.
I got this recipe from A Taste of Home. The kids love this stuff (so do the grown-ups). It's perfect for family movie nights or any other time you need an on-the-go snack.
Oh, and bonus tip. The container you see in the picture above? It's one of those cute little cups that comes with Easter egg dying kits. We use them for a multitude of things...from snack containers to crayon holders to scoops for the sandbox.
Our special edition of "It's a Small World" broke down. Yeah, the grown ups got tired of sitting on the couch waving to the ride patrons. So, the peapod squad came up with a plan B. So resourceful, don't you think?
Now their Groovy Girls are part of the ride. The dolls are carefully propped/posed on their art easel. The kidlets sit on their chairs (aka "the ride boat") and wave crazily at the dolls across the room. All while singing the famed song, of course.
The child locators were a bit tricky to figure out with multiples at first. Because they looked just alike, I needed to find a way to distinguish which receiver went with which transmitter/keychain. I ended up using a dot of fingernail polish (3 different colors that we already associate with each child) to match them up. Worked like a charm!
The kids loved the little bears. I loved that they were water-resistant, too. And having the parent transmitter on a keychain was a great help. I could just clip them on my belt-loop and have them easily accessible.
I only wish they had a different way to clip the bears on. They have a closed loop that requires shoes with laces or a belt. We had neither, so I put the bears in their pockets and had to rely on them not taking them out to play with them (and possibly losing them).
If one of the children got more than 25-ft from me, my transmitter would sound an alarm. I could also press the button on my transmitter to have their receiver's alarm sound. Great system!
And as a back-up, we put the tattoos on them that say "If I am lost, call (hubby's cell phone #)." The kids thought they were SUPER cool! Seriously, they didn't want me to wash them off! The tattoos come with several really fun images and include a special pen for writing your phone number on the actual tattoo after it is fully dry. These are also water-resistant (umm...and sweat-proof). So easy to use and especially helpful for children who aren't yet old enough to know all of that information on their own.
Got a funny story for you. So, you know we just got back from vacation. Not just any vacation. THE vacation. Disney World.
Last night, the peapod squad lined up little chairs in the living room and sat there with their Groovy Girls in their laps (yes, even the boys...don't you dare make fun of my children!). They told us (hubs and me) to "make It's a Small World." So...yeah...we did just that. Because we know who the real bosses are around here.
We sat on the couch doing a sort of pageant wave (elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, wipe a tear, blow a kiss) while singing "It's a Small World..." forever! They sat there in their little make-believe boat giggling, pointing us out to their dolls ("Look Woxette! It's a Mommy and Daddy! What countwy are they fwom?") and occasionally singing along.
The road trip home from Florida took 3 hours longer than it should have. We seemed to require endless breaks; and everyone (grown-ups included) was getting fussy, whiney and just plain annoying. Snap was the least patient with all of this foolishness. I can't even tell you how many times he desperately moaned, "It's taking foreeeeeeever!"
Then he discovered a brilliantly simple way to block out the reality of his day-in-a-car. He quietly pulled his precious blue blanket up over his head and just stayed that way. If the car was moving, he was under the blanket. He wasn't sleeping...he'd stick out his little hand and wave if we talked to him. But he was hiding out from it all. Just chillin' out in a shroud of blue satin and fleece.
I wish I had his knack for finding the calm way out of a stressful situation. Maybe I need a big (yeah, it'd take a huge one) blue blanket.
The child locators were a bit tricky to figure out with multiples at first. Because they looked just alike, I needed to find a way to distinguish which receiver went with which transmitter/keychain. I ended up using a dot of fingernail polish (3 different colors that we already associate with each child) to match them up. Worked like a charm!
