Which stroller?!?

Well, as you can see from my growing wish list on the right, I've found many things we are going to need/want with these babies coming in the early fall. I didn't list the big one--a vehicle--because I know that is completely out of my control and being stuck at home or having to go in separate vehicles for a little while is not the end of the world, it will just make life a little more difficult. It is also a HUGE purchase that most people go into debt for and we're torn about adding more debt to our lives when we are trying to rid ourselves of those chains.

ANYWAY--let's start with the babies' future ride.........My first choice: Joovy.......

This is my first choice, listed in my wish list, but at a hefty $400, this triple seater is really just a dream to compare all others too :) You can let a toddler stand on the back (and possibly sit) and it fits several different infant carriers also (an added cost since these are not cheap either)....
• Graco® Snug Ride™ Series
• Peg Perego® Primo Viaggio
• Evenflo® Embrace™
• Compass® Light & Portable Infant Car Seat
• Britax® Companion™
• Safety 1st® Designer 22™
• Eddie Bauer® Infant Car Seat (models 22-625 and 22-626)
• Baby Trend® Latch-Loc & Flex-Loc
• Chicco® Key Fit Car Seat
• Graco® Safe Seat
• Peg Perego® Primo Viaggio SIP
• Combi® Centre Series
• Combi® Connection
• Maxi-Cosi® Mico™
Now, I can find this stroller on other websites for less, but $400 is the retail listed on the Joovy site. It does say that the universal carseat attachments are included. I do not know how easy it is to put the carseats on--it appears that they do not "click" in, but are strapped in, so any seat should work.
Another plus? BOTH seats have removable trays with 2 cupholders--not just the front one! AND the 3rd seat has a 3point harness and it appears, depending on weight limit, that I may be able to let one stand and one sit in that 3rd seat section--if they won't push one another off :)
Now--this is it for the major features--no added frufru like a steering wheel or all terrain tires (those are much higher priced brands), not even adjustable seats where they can face each other or a cupholder for mom--but there is a full basket underneath for all the gear. Another thing to consider is being able to fit it into a vehicle--looks like it will not go into a minivan or car, but most SUVs and bigger vans will hold it. It's quite large, although not much bigger than other tandem strollers at 14 x 21.5 x 63 folded. Additional specs here.
WHERE TO BUY? Besides online businesses, Babies R Us is listed, but they only sell it online and as low as $289 (YAY!).

And here is my second choice. I figured I should go with a more reasonable price range:

Safety 1st Two-Way Tandem Stroller

listed on Target.com for $159.99, again, without the carseats. A review noted that it will accomodate Graco or Even Flo carseats as well as the Safety 1st. These are all "cheaper" and easy to find brands. I think I like the quality and not so bulkiness when I compare pictures to Graco, etc. You can turn the front seat to face the backseat and the front has a swing out cupholder, also a parent cupholder/tray. This is closer to a "normal" stroller when you compare it to the triple of the Joovy, but when compared to other tandems, it doesn't have a bunch of frufru stuff to hike up the price either. It appears the front seat does not lay down like the back, which lies flat for the sleeping infant.

Well---that's what I've found so far--still doing research and will probably continue until a purchase is made! Looking first at garage sales and well-meaning friends :) and I will "make do" with pretty much anything if it is cheap enough [haha].

Lunch idea

With sinus stuff hitting me hard yesterday and today, I was not up for getting the kids together and heading out to see if Dominos was doing the free pasta bowl here or not (I had thought to get the older 2 their personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut also).......BUT I don't feel like venturing out (or even dressing), so here is our lunch today:

Egg Salad Sandwiches
6 hard-boiled eggs [farm fresh XL--free from friends]
3 large dallops mayo/salad dressing [I used our cheap Aldi's stuff instead of the nice squirtable Mayo]
3 squirts mustard
10 pieces toast [white sandwich bread on sale at WalMart for $.99]
5 slices American cheese [came in Angel food boxes this month]

This made 5 sandwiches and I have enough filling for 1 or 2 more. Egg is supposed to be really good for me (and pregnancy) and I was SO happy to see the kids devouring their sandwiches!! This is their new favorite lunch [our school usually does not serve a hot lunch :) so their choices are minimal] and the cost is CHEAP!! WOW!! It makes the occasional fish sticks, chicken, and lunch meat costs bearable--and definitely beats pb&j in my kids's minds!

Spring Cleaning?!?!?

I have NEVER EVER claimed to be clean, organized or anything of the such. In fact, while most are talking about spring cleaning meaning closets getting cleaned out, windows washed, junk drawers organized and cabinets scrubbed, I just kinda turn a deaf ear.
We don't do spring cleaning--we do baby cleaning--yep, and it's that "season" for us!! Whenever a baby is coming, it's time to clean up the house--closets? cabinets? maybe. Let's start with piles of laundry and vacuuming.....~smile~......it is every 2 years or so by the way....oh, and my husband's duties of fixing a toilet (which looks to be more of a take out carpet and redo the flooring and toilet--UGH!), installing a dishwasher, un-installing a garbage disposal, and maybe some other maintenance items that have been on hold too long...
And then there is the rotating of school books and deciding what to keep, what to give away and how many more shelves I need. The school year doesn't really have an end or beginning around here--we celebrate at the end of a study or chapter or workbook a little and we have breaks all year round. Now, as they are getting older and I'm looking at a soon to be 3rd grade girl and 2nd grade boy (not to mention the 4yo, 2yo and upcoming twins), I realize that this laid back attitude and go with the flow schedule is going to be tweaked!! We have our daily routine, but I'm adding a bit more of a rigorous schedule for now and to our "fall semester" of July/August/September and then they can be a bit more laid back after the babies come while we adjust.
SO--along with trying to clean up the floors, clean out the clutter and rearrange to prepare for babies, these next couple months are going to be for lesson planning also.
My 8yo dd H now has her own list of language and math work that has to be accomplished for the week. These are our "textbooks" that need little explanation, but I am at the table most of the time anyway for help, encouragment and the little bit of teaching needed. She did great managing her time last week, so hopefully this is the start of a new independence! My 6yo ds has his list of language and math for the day--I am needed for most of his work with teaching and instructions and this morning he finished it all but a sheet of math problems that are really extra (and he did tomorrow's spelling!). This is going well, it just requires a little more planning on my part (and I'm afraid to go too far ahead and have to change it when a bump in the plans change a day).

This "season's" cleaning also will mean re-arranging bedrooms for us. My dh is giving up his new room (he took over my cluttered and non-used office for a TV/relaxation room) to the boys and we will re-move into their room (I say they although only one sleeps in there now). SOOOO--I have a whole new wish list in mind for what we need in order to get this accomplished, but let's stick with the basics:

1. Clean out downstairs toyroom and convert to schoolroom--this requires major motivation on my part AND a de-tachment to all the stuff :(, deciding what HAS to go and what should really stay, but it will ge the ball rolling if I just GET TO IT!
2. This will clean out the upstairs office of shelves and desks and we can make it the boys' room--they are easy with just a dresser, shelves and 2 beds to move in, hopefully a rug or 2 and of course a few toyboxes.
3. We can then move into the "new" master bedroom and convert ours back to the nursery. I hope we can find a bigger bed (ours is just full) so that, as my dh says, he can sleep with me at some point after the twins come [I tend to co-sleep while nursing].
4. Shouldn't leave the girls out--so hopefully we will clean out and "decorate" a little for them also--moving out the toddler bed and rearranging, maybe with a rug or 2 and a couple towyboxes if they can keep it all picked up!!

And, that will be my summer-long-hopefully-within-5-months-before-babies-come "Spring Cleaning!" [Hopefully chasing away dustbunnies all along the way and maybe even washing some windows and curtains!]

JUST ME...........

Ultrasound Pictures

Had an hour long ultrasound on Wednesday and came home with a disk full of pics and videos. Thought it would be great to have a "wordless wednesday" and post all of them, but alas, I was tired, very sore, then we had dinner and church last night--so here it is Thursday and I have many words to say along with the pictures!!

Both babies appear healthy. We are just at 15 weeks and it is a little early to tell gender--but the guess (emphasis on GUESS--she told us to keep any receipts!!) is both girls--we do not know if they are fraternal or identical, but they are in separate sacks which is a very good thing. We saw full spines, 4 chamber hearts and all the other important stuff. Baby B gave us some good profile pics, yet was moving around a lot when it was her turn to get measured. I thought it was cute how they looked like they were in bunk beds, so that is how she labeled this picture on the left.
With how sore I was from all the pushing on my belly, I realized that I should not have big plans on future ultrasound days. She also said this is probably the last time we will get pictures of the together, so that is what I am sharing. Amazing how much improvement there is in these pics from the ones from our first 8.5 years ago! Of course, now that I've seen several, it is easier for me to know what to look for ;)

When one baby was moving, the other held still and visa versa. It was quite interesting to watch them mirror one another--both heads down and facing the same directions almost at all times.

Baby B gave us some good profile shots, although was squirmy while she tried to get her measurements. Here, you see B's profile and the shadow of A underneath.

At one point, we saw all 4 feet on the screen (don't you just love baby feet?), but they did not get captured in a picture or even video--they were moving way too much!

Double Blessings

I've announced my pregnancy with #5, but the news keeps on coming!! I finally made it to my new doctor last Friday and received the shock of my life when we did an ultrasound and found 2 BABIES!!! They were both a swimming and kicking around as active as could be--could see baby "A" easier than baby "B", but got normal heartrates on each of them and she scheduled another ultrasound with an ultrasound tech for this Wednesday to take all the measurements and get a twin gestation (due date). We may even find out genders! We'll see!!!

After the shock wore off and reality set in, excitement was mixed with OMG!!! I was all laid back and fine with #5 coming--it's all old news, nothing really new--well, now, this is totally new and totally different!! This moves up my due date, it makes a birth plan need to be VERY flexible, including possible c-section(s), nursing is a whole new ballgame and lets not even discuss the need for a vehicle that seats 8+, a twin stroller, 2 carseats, rearranging bedrooms, among many other things (like dbl diapers/wipes, baby wash, bathtubs, baby food, and more?).......oh and school? Yeah--I have 2 in school (we really didn't plan on stopping for summer anyway) and 2 that need to be entertained--gotta get all that planned too!

SO--I will be making my giant wishlist at some point, we will probably have a baby shower (my dh's aunts are insistent) and will probably register at Babies R Us and places like that--we do NOT need 2 of EVERYthing, but we will need many things that we thought were taken care of already......

NOW--back to NOW and the pregnancy. Ever heard the myth of "eating for 2"? Well, I know that's a myth and you really only need an extra 300 calories for a normal pregnancy--but my CONSTANT hunger made me wonder what I needed......HAH!! I was given permission to call dh to bring me a milkshake on his way home when I read a parenting magazine article online. According to this, I need to have 3500 calories per day, mostly high in iron and calcium, but not forgetting about all the other vitamins/minerals. No wonder I have been craving dairy! Eggs are supposed to be great for me also......I guess dbl the weight gain is also normal-AHHH!!! My norm is gaining 50 lbs per pregnancy and this time would've taken me close to that 200 mark anyway--guess I'm probably gonna blow that out of the water! My sweet dh insists that I've always lost the weight before--don't worry about it, but this, again, is totally different. Healthy is my goal though, despite whatever the scales say--it will be hard enough to just keep up with my nutritional needs. I'll be 30 this fall and I have sensed a change in my metabolism, so we'll see about losing weight when babies #5 and #6 are having their first birthdays ~smile~.
WATER~~~Are you good at drinking water? I'm not--never have been, but despite the "6-8 recommended glasses" I always tend to get by with 1 or so. WELL--get this--twins? Try drinking 2 gallons a day to be in top shape and help avoid preterm labor.....well, I'll start with 32 oz. That's a lot for me--maybe I can up it as we go.

Look for a wishlist coming soon--I'm gonna be researching and looking into all sorts of products that I just would've passed on before. Now? I sure wish I was one of those bigtime bloggers that got stuff sent to them so they could review it and tell the world!!

Hoover Floormate

Hoover Spinscrub floormate seems to have it all together for those of us with a bunch of hard surfaces, although Hoover floormate with tools looks even better maybe at only $15 more. I think if I don't win, it's still gonna make it to my wishlist of "WANT REALLY BADLY" to make life easier....

You can enter to win one of these either here OR here, or be like me and enter both!!!

Be sure to check out the buttons on the side to Life Starring Ellie and Eve and Blessings Abound also.

I will soon have a wishlist and announcements also......you'll see!!!

my grocery trips 4/9

Let's just say I was not completely prepared with all my coupons, but I knew Food4Less had chicken and potatoes at good prices. Dillons would have been a MUCH better trip if they'd had the gillette body wash (my moneymaker) or the 4packs of cottenelle TP {scroll down to see my previous post}, NEVERTHELESS, here is what I got....

First stop--Food 4 Less
Granny Smith and Rome Apples $.98/lb (6 for $2.20)
Kraft Strawberry Marshmallows on the clearance rack $1.25/1
-MQ $.50/2 found by the marshmallows
Best Choice 64 oz apple juice $1.76
Cranberry Juice Cocktail $1.48
15lbs potatoes $2.98
5lbs chicken breast $7.40
Total OOP with tax=$18.69

Second Stop--Dillons
P&G Deals-Charmin TP $7.99
Zest $3.50
Mach3 Razors $6.49
EQs razors ($3.00) and TP ($.50)
P&G buy 3 ($3.00)
MQ razors ($2.00)
= $9.48
General Mills Deals-Fiber One Bars $2.67
Chex Mix Bars $2.67
Cereal $2.67
Fruit Snacks $4/2
EQs cereal ($.50) fiber one ($.50) ($1.00)
MQs ($.75) ($.50) ($.60) ($.55)
GenMills "Free Milk" ($4.00)
= $2.01
I paid OOP with tax $13.40

Just FYI--the cereal 3/$8 is on the front end of an aisle, not with the cereal. Also, if I could've gotten the gillette body wash, I would've saved quite a bit more, but they were OUT of stock. They also do not look like they are stocking the 4packs of cottonelle--but they may just have been out of stock again.

Dillons deals 4/8-4/14

See the Grocery Weekly for a whole list of deals. The only difference I see between her Topeka store and our Joplin one is the "buy 3, get X free".

Our Deal: Buy 3/$8--9-13 oz General Mills Cereal, 5.3-8.9 selected Nature Valley, Fiber One, or Chex Mix Bars, get 2 FREE Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks (great for Easter goodies).
You need to go to her site and use the sidebar to print MQ for fruit snacks, cinnamon toast crunch, and nature valley bars (I'm looking for fiber one instead), then load cellfire EQ for the cereal and fiber one bars. Also cut out the chex bars MQ from 2/8 SS. Ideally, with all the right coupons, you'll spend $.60/1, a total of $3 for all 5 boxes!

P&G: Look for the green tags to save $3/3 instantly at checkout.
I'm planning on using my EQ for $3/1 mach3 or $2/1 venus razors {$5.49} and $2/1 gilette body wash {$2.50}
plus a $2/1 MQ for each (expired 3/31, but Dillons accepts expired Qs for 2 weeks)
= overage of $.01-$1.01,
and I haven't decided if the Zest bars, Underjams, EasyUps, or Charmin tp are the best deals for my 3rd purchase---all are on my need-to-buy list, but none will be free and so far, the easy ups and charmin are the only ones with coupon match ups, so we'll see!!

A little extra: Go to http://www.cottonelle.com/ to print your 2 more free MQ for $.50/1 on TP--then buy the $.99 4packs and with your $.25/1 EQ from cellfire, you will profit $.27/2!!

I'll try to post on Friday what I get tomorrow! Let me know what deals you find!!

Adsense

Okay--just FYI for everyone's info--if you are a blogger, you may know already that carrying ads can be profitable--well, I finally did the research, and yeah, my little tiny adsense ads over on the side CAN be profitable EVENTUALLY.........SO if anyone sees one they want more info on, please be my guest and click on it! I MAY eventually earn some money! But they won't cut the check till it is over $100, and so far, I've earned $1.53 (maybe a penny a click? I'm not sure--I haven't done THAT much research).
Happy reading........just me.......

Jonah mini-lapbook

Homeschool Helper has a Jonah lapbook so isn't that convenient!! And I believe it can be used for ALL ages, although my oldest is only 8. We used 5 out of the 7 booklets (not the map or Jonah's lessons learned) and condensed it to use just less than half of a file folder. You can use all 7 booklets and still make this a mini lapbook. I cut the file folder in half and then folded the half in thirds, cutting off 1/3, making a little brochure type booklet. I had to trim one of the booklets a little to fit, but otherwise, it was a perfect one day activity to supplement our previous day's lesson over Jonah (Mystery of History, vol 1). I just read through the bible story to help them answer the questions. I also looked up dates to see what others had to say.

Now--the cover--WELL--I thought fish would be nice, don't you? I just googled fish alphabet and this is what I got, in pdf format at that!!!! We used the capital letters to spell out Jonah, they each decorated their fish and we lined them up for the cover from top down (we cut them out of the rectangles to help them fit the space--if you use the small letters, they would fit easily). This was the simplest little lapook we have ever done--easy to fill in the blanks and not too time consuming [of course, you could add SO much to this like games and water or boat info, but simple is all we were going for--and if that's what you are going for, don't mess with any of the extras :)].

EXTRAS [mostly to keep little hands busy or kids just needing something extra]:

poems/songs for the little ones

color page

crossword puzzle (pdf)

dot to dot #s 1-40

color the dots

hidden pictures

Ocean Totbook

Ocean life crafts {many links do not work, but there are several that are good, so I still included them in the list}

AND ONE FOR THE OLDER ONES:

Notebooking pages

Lacking luster. . .

Life seems to be lacking luster...

Have you heard that diamonds, when found in a mine, are pretty plain, really just looking like glass? They don't gain their real beauty and luster until they have been polished, cut, and set. Sure, they are still valuable--but not to the general public.

Life around our house is lacking luster right now--no, not just the "oh, we're all sick and the house is a mess" lacking luster--not the daily struggle of just life--a deeper lacking. On March 17th, my FIL passed away after just 6 weeks of diagnosed cancer, only about 6-7 months of getting cancer. He was dad to 6, FIL to 4, Papa to 19 grandchildren (1 on the way) and 5 great-grandchildren (1 on the way), brother to 9 still living, cousin and uncle to numerous family, friend to even more. Life, since the busyness of his sickness and then the sudden loss, is lacking luster. Despite the bright sunshine outside (finally), life is still not sunshiny for us yet. It will take quite some time I'm sure. Yes, there are lustrous moments for the kids and myself--maybe even for dh, but they are definitely lacking. Even the excitement of going to a new OB soon will have a bittersweet twang to it. It's exciting to see the new life inside me, but knowing this little one will never know it's Papa is just heart-wrenching. He was such a light in their lives--he brought joy, sugar, and fun, all wrapped up in one single afternoon just about every Sunday and then a few extra weekends throughout the year. He built a "train" to take them on trips "around the world", or well, around the block to see the "Grand Canyon" and "Mighty Redwoods". [for those of you who don't know, we live in SW MO--no where near any of these sights, just a creek bed and a few trees] There were kite days, pony and mule rides, even for the littlest, camping trips, and no matter how frustrating and frightening his ideas were sometimes for us parents, they made tremendous memories. His last conversation with me, 6 days before he passed, he told me he hoped he was a good dad, a good FIL. I probably didn't know if he was coming or going most the time (at which, I laughed and shook my head, tears streaming down) and that's okay cause he didn't know if he was either. He also reassured me that it would be okay--he pointed up, knowing where he was headed in the afterlife. Heaven. Comforting, yet it still hurts. It hurts to see my MIL alone--just lacking luster around here.

Hope you don't really understand, but hope this might be comforting in some sort of way. It's not really for you, but for me that I am blogging................just me............