Another Rough Day

Anyway wanted to vent. Had a rough day. Lets see. It happened again last night at 2 am. Victoria starting coughing yet it was like a muffled cough. I ran to her room to see what was going on. She was sleeping. I turned on the light and a fountain of throw up came out of her mouth. It was awful. I had to pick her up and turn her so it would go out onto her bed even though she already was covered in it. There I am holding my breath not to gag myself. Meanwhile, Naomi wakes up and starts screaming. I call my husband to come up and help. He starts gagging too but at least he gets me the cleaning supplies and takes Naomi out of the room into our bedroom.

I clean up the mess, open up the windows and lysol their bedroom. Meanwhile Victoria is sitting on the floor wrapped in a blanket full of throw up. I carry her down to give her a bath. Well, when I left the kitchen the sink was clean of dishes and empty but not now. So I tell her stand there while mommy gets the sink clean so I can give you a bath. She's asking for medicine. I give her pedialyte.

I finally get the sink clean and get Victoria in and scrub her down to get the stuff out of her hair and telling her that we need to make her smell like roses again. Poor kid. It's been a rough week for her. This is the 3rd time this week she has had this virus or whatever it is.

So after she's all clean and I blow dry her hair it's now 3-3:30 I can't remember. She won't sleep in her crib so she winds up in my bed. I get hit in the face a couple of times as she sleeps like she's on the cross with her arms out on both sides. Dont' forget Naomi is in the bed too.

5 am DH decides he wants to go to bed. So he wakes me up and we try to bring the girls to their room. Big mistake. they start screaming and crying and wont' go into their cribs. This noise wakes up Jusin who is in his room. So they wind up back into my bed. DH gets all made and sleeps on the couch. It was his doing putting them into our bed in the first place so serves him right. He! He!

7 am the girls wake up and guess what they won't stay put. they get up and jump on the bed and wake me up. I'm exhausted at this point. I bring them down as theres no point in going back to sleep at this point. the entire time I'm praying we make it to lunch time.

No throwing up. Around 10 or so Justin goes to the potty and poohs. Stands up and says Yeah! Then he says not done! Sits on another potty and pees. Great job. this is without me asking him if he has to go or not.

by 11 - 11:30 they start to act really cranky and I just had it with the whining. I feed them lunch at 12 and up to naps they go. I eat my lunch and then lay down for a much needed nap myself.

3pm Justin prances into my bedroom (he undid the child safety doorknob again). He's in a different pair of pants and no shirt. I ask him where's your shirt? We go back to his room. Where I almost lost it. He pooped. Took off his diaper and decided to decorate the walls, window, shade and rug with it. Oh, it was a total nightmare! Meanwhile, Naomi wakes up and she's screaming in the other room to get out of her crib. It took me about 45 minutes to clean up the mess in his room holding my breath again.

The whole time I'm praying I make it to 7 (bedtime).

I'm Going on Vacation - NOT!

You're packing for a weekend away from your family. You're going to be seeing a bunch of online friends for the first time at, oh I don't know, maybe a CHA tradeshow in California.

What do you pack? What do you wear???

Oh, I so wish this was the case but nope not me. Won't be going to CA for a while. I luckily did get to go to CA before the triplets were born and I did get to meet a whole bunch of ladies from my scrapals group. What did I pack? Man, I can't remember as it was 4 or 5 years ago maybe even longer than that when I went. I remember packing lightly and bringing an extra suitcase to carry all my shopping purchases. I remember CA had tons of scrapbooking stores to shop at. I even purchased my sizzix while there because at the time the east coast did not have it.

I hardly ever wear shorts as I'm always cold. I don't even think I packed any shorts. Just comfortable jogging pants and t-shirts. It's a bit chilly to go swimming in Jan. I think I went in November and it was in the 70's there maybe it reached 80 but to me the temp needs to be higher to go swimming.

Well, back to reality.

Between Ages 5 and 10

Between the ages of 5 and 10, what was your favorite activity?

__________________
I loved to play school. I always would play with my friends in my neighborhood. I mainly was the teacher because all the kids were younger than me. I remember carrying crayons, books, chalk boards, chalk across the street and setting it up and having all the kids sit while I tried to teach them something.

Another activity would be playing with Barbie. I liked to dress her up. I had a trunk full of clothes for her. Most of my friends had the neat things like the Barbie house, Barbie car, etc. etc. And, of course, I had to have the other types of barbies like the bionic woman, and Ken. You had to have Ken too. When I outgrew these my sister took them over.

I also liked to play board games. My favorite would have to be mouse trap. This too I would play with my friends in the neighborhood. A card game which I enjoyed at that time would be UNO.

Toilet Paper

According to a physics professor quoted by Ann Landers, to get the toilet paper roll to turn requires a certain torque, which comes from the tension in the paper being withdrawn. The greater the distance between the plane of the paper being pulled and the axis support line, the lesser the force required and the lesser the chance of tearing the paper before you have enough.

(Yeah, I'm not sure what all that proves either.)

Which camp are you in: Should the toilet paper be hung so the paper dangles over or under the roll? This is a pet peeve of mine and I say that the paper always has to be over. I so hate when someone puts it under. I always wind up changing it to over.

One Word Only

This Moment: Hungry
Your Shoes: Socks
Craving: Bagel
The State of Your Home: NJ
Annoyed By: Naomi
Noise In the Background: TV
Really Want To: Sleep
Thinking about: Justin
Smelling: Lysol
Favorite Product In Office Supply Aisle: Organizers
Don't Ever Want To: Cry
Your Eye Color: Blue
The Weather: Cold
Have Never Tried: Aligator
Think Everyone Should Try: Scrapbooking
Last Vacation Destination: San Juan
The Last Thing You Had to Drink: Water
Your Bad Habit: Twizzlers
What You're Going To Do Now: EAT

Where has the Time Gone?

Credits:

Times Change by Lauren Bavin
Family Love by Tina Chambers
It's a Date Elegant by Tina Chambers
Fonts: New Times Roman

My Bedroom

Credits:
Dolci Page Kit and Add on by Kim Liddiard
Font: Blue Print

Who's a Nerd?

I live with a computer nerd, my husband. He follows up on all new technology and has to have whatever is new. When he does I wind up with the hand-me downs which isn't that bad because I have inherited tons of neat things such as computers, printers, cell phones, ipods, palms, digital cameras, software and lots of other things.

On rare occassions, he will splurge and get us both new things. This past August we both got new laptops. It's the best gift he has ever given me. Not only do I have the laptop but I have wireless internet so anywhere in the house I'm able to access the Internet.

Since I got the laptop I have been learning adobe photoshop elements and have been doing my scrapbooking digitally. I also started to make my own digital kits. So I guess his nerdiness is starting to rub off on me as well.

Restaurants

Ordering at restaurants? Do you get the usual each time? Do you sample food from your friend's plate? Are you adventurous? And most importantly, do you save room for dessert?

Once a month I try to attend the triplet moms night out. The night out always consists of a dinner at a restaurant. I normally order the same things. I try to order meals that I can't cook myself that includes seafood, steak or a pasta dish. If I go out with my husband which is very rare I will occasionally swap meals with him but only if I didn't order seafood since he dislikes seafood. I am not adventurous but occasionally will order shellfish and then feel guilty about that afterwards. Being Jewish we are not allowed to eat any shellfish it's part of the Kosher laws. I almost always save room for dessert. My favorite would be a hot brownie with ice cream.

My Awful Day

well we gave up on the potty thing today. Last night at 3 am victoria threw up. I gave her a bath and then she threw up again. I wound up putting her in my bed and she threw up again. Now, Naomi and Victoria share a room so of course Naomi was screaming and wanted to be in Mommy's bed too. so from 3:30-5 I had the two in my bed while my husband worked. at 5 am I put them back in their cribs because they felt it was play time in Mommy's bed and wouldn't lay down. at 5:20 am Naomi is screaming for mommy because Victoria again threw up in her crib.

I striped down her bed and gave her towels to sleep on. Luckily from 6am to 10am I was able to get some sleep. I woke up with extremely bad cramps in my stomach. I rush to the bathroom. Diarrhea. Meanwhile, Justin and the girls are up. It subsides I go in to get Justin.

Only for a brief moment and my stomach pains come back and I have to rush back to the bathroom almost not making it mind you. Meanwhile, Justin is naked from the night before. He peed on his bed which needed changing. Okay the pain subsides. I go to put Justin 's diaper on. Get the girls out of their crib and there are no diapers in the girls room so we all venture down stairs to the other changing table.

I dress and change one of the girls. Then while changing the other I get the cramps again. I rush to the bathroom a 3rd time. My husband comes down and sees the girls naked and I'm in the bathroom. I tell him I'm not feeling well,

I then go back to dress the girls. Get them situated in the living room. At this point I"m very weak and I feel worse then before. I go into the bathroom sit on the floor and the pain gets worse. I vomit all of last nights dinner. then Victoria throws up again. The other two are saying they are hungry I pop in a waffle and give them watered down juice. Give Victoria some water. I lay on the couch in a comatose state. I can't lay on my side as the pain is so much. I call my mom no answer. I call my sister no answer. I call my grandmother who I speak to and she said she will find my mom for me. I didn't want her involved but I had no where to turn. I tell her I'm okay I"m on the couch now and praying that it doesn't happen again. I fall asleep off and on getting up to go to the bathroom. My mom calls back. I tell her not to come I'll be okay I'm resting and the kids were pretty much doing what they pleased but not harming anything while I just laid there.

at 1:30 my husband comes up for lunch as he works in our basement and has a tantrum because I'm so out of it on the couch and they kids need to be fed lunch. So after he fussed he did manage to get the 2 fed after them having tantrums because daddy was feeding them and they are not used to that at all. So he had a bit of a melt down with them. Meanwhile I'm on the couch crying and in pain. the house is a total mess! Crackers all over the floor toys spread all over just a total mess.

at 2 - I managed to get up and change their diapers (my husband won't do this) and get them in for a nap. Victoria falls a sleep on the living room floor so I just leave her there and I venture to get the other two to nap and I collapse on our bed. at 3 am - I wake up again in pain rushing to the bathroom. Only this time not only did I have diarrhea I was throwing up at the same time. Luckily I had the waste basket right next to the toilet.

I call my mom and tell her there is no way I'm going to make it through the remainder of the day when the kids get up. She lives an hour away so she eventually showed up at 4:30. at 4 my husband finds Victoria in the formal living room crying for mommy. He takes her and puts her on the couch and puts the tv on. I then join her on the couch.

at 5 she seems to be very hot. I take her temp and she's 103. Give her Tylenol. At 5:30 - she is laying on top of me and starts whimpering. Throws up all over me at this same time I am screaming in pain as I get a Charley horse pain in my leg. My mom comes running over and grabs my leg to try to get the knot which is in it while I'm sitting there full of puke all over me and crying because the pain in my leg was excruciating. I managed to get the knot out and then take a shower. At 7 I finally decide to eat something a cracker and at 9 my mom gives me some tea. So far knock on wood I'm feeling better and no episodes since around 7.

Now I just pray that my mom, my husband and Justin don't get sick. We've been spraying Lysol everywhere and I keep reminding everyone to wash their hands. Pray for us.

Help Wanted!

Take the most boring job you've ever had and write a glowing job description for it. __________________

Ice Cream Parlor Counter Help Wanted, located in New York area, is seeking energetic, friendly counter help. Duties include serving customers, mopping floors, cleaning toilets, lifting heavy ice cream containers. Part-time closing hours. Fun place to work. $5.00/hr.

M is for Mom

Journaling reads:
Many days I feel I am failing as a mother. I Fail to model self-control and I just lose it. This reaction my mom claims is a temper tantrum. I yell, I throw, I slam doors, I scream, I cry and when it’s all said and done, I am left with the overwhelming feeling of failure and regret. I do try to be a great mom. I have to face reality though. It is not easy raising triplets and I am not supermom. I’m a mom who does not always get the 8 hours sleep that is needed to keep me from losing it. A mom whose husband works 24/7 and I am left alone for one too many days. A mom who selfishly wants some time to herself. A mom who tries her hardest to give you all love equally. A mom who fears that every mistake I make as a parent will somehow cause you harm or you will love me less. A mom who battles self-control daily. So kids, the reality is that I am not perfect. Of course, by the time you read this you will have figured this out. I want you to never forget that I absolutely love being your mom and I will never stop striving to be the best one I can be.

Credits:
Cafe Noir by Lauren Bavin
Family Add on kit by Lauren Bavin
Motherhood by Lisa Carter
Celtic Carve Freebie by Kim Liddiard
Beautiful Soul by Rene Bross
lriordan_chillin_brad
RachaelAH_SNL21_AlphaUpper
mrose-sophisticated-stickpintwo
Font: DSP Pat

What Inspires Me?

Write about someone or something that inspires you artistically. I sat and thought about this question for a long time. Boy this is a tough one. The only thing I really can come up with would be the beauty of things that God has created. The beauty of nature such as flowers, sun sets, children's little smiling faces, my cats, you know things that make you smile. I find that if I am feeling happy about things then I get inspired artistically faster and more often.

Photography by Jill Clark

L is for Love

The other day I wrote up an ABC list "Find out just what makes me me!" Well, here is my very first page. I know I'm not doing them in order but while missing my husband because he's on a business trip I thought of love and came up with this page. I am making the pages 5.75 x 8.75 to fit into my Stampin' Up Art Journal which by the way in March they will have a punch which will make the holes on the pages so I can insert them into the book. Pretty neat.

Anyway, this was taken from the bible. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4

It means a lot to me since it was one of the passages read at my wedding.

Credits:
This layout was cased from isshinryu_mom's Y page
Love's Splendor by Becky Soto
Fonts: CK Calligraphy & DecoCaps

Sing - Hell No!

Do you think you can sing? In front of people or just in the car? I sing to the children but I do not hit the correct notes. I certainly cannot sing right now since I am losing my voice. You should have heard me trying to read 2 books to the kids for story time today it was awful. My voice was going up and down and at times very very squeeky. So in a nut shell, I cannot sing and would never be caught singing in public.

Evan and Laura - Engaged

Credit

Mint Julep by Lauren Bavin
I shall love you by Tina Chambers
Font: Elegant

Childhood Friend

Describe a favorite childhood friend and something you did with her or him. My best friend was Debbie. I met her in kindergarden. We would walk to school together as she lived right down the block from my house. Our moms became friends too. When we were in first grade she moved to another state. We remained in contact with each other through the years. We would spend entire summers together. Either I would go to her house or she'd come to mine. We spent a lot of time at her grandmother's house too. We even went to sleep away camp together 3 summers. We did have some childhood fights and we did lose contact when we were in our teens but found our way back to each other in our 20's. We are in our 30's now and we are both married and have children of our own. We live about 1/2 hour away from each other and either we talk on the phone or get together at least once a month. It's very rare to have a friend for 30 years. I am so glad she is in my life. She is always there when I need her. I am very grateful for her especially when I delivered the triplets. She came to visit me each night I was in the hospital and she even helped me take a shower when my husband was too squirmish to help. Not many friends would do that. Thanks Debbie for always being there for me.

Faith

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here in America:

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

What do you have faith in? We've been having a difficult time financially. I pray to God every day that things will get better and that income will start coming in. My husband works extremely long hours and sometimes doesn't even get to see the children. I pray that God will help him be a better father and relieve some of the stress from working so much to help raise our large family.

ABC -What Makes Me Me!

After seeing isshinryu_mom's album here I got the urge to start an album myself. So far here is my abc list. It could change though as it very tentative at the moment.

A- accounting/aunt
B- Beauty within
C - Digital Scrapbooking
E - Evan (husband)
F - Family/Friends
G- GIGGLE
H - home
I -insomnia
J - Justin (my son)
k - keepsakes
L -love
M - motherhood
n - naomi (my daughter)
O - organzied
P - photography
Q - quotes
R - READING
S - Soap Opera (Days of Our Lives)
T - Triplets/Tradition/Togetherness
U - unique
V - Victoria (my daughter)
W - Wedding/Wife
X - xtras
Y - Youthfulness/Yummy Recipes
Z - zipcodes/zodiac Sign

Stay tuned for the pages

__________________

Frozen Time - Less than an Hour

If you could freeze time for less than an hour, and you’d be the only living thing that’s “alive” in that moment:

What would you do? After thinking and thinking about this question the only thing I could come up with is - I'd rob a bank assuming that there would be no consequences. If the clocks are stopped that means the video cameras are also stopped so the money would just disappear and no one would know where it went. I'd hide the money somewhere safely so when we really needed it I would be able to have access to it so I could pay our bills and wouldn't have to worry about when the next pay check was coming.

Why you wouldn’t be able to do it if everything were normal and the time weren’t frozen? Well, first of all, I'd be put in jail if I robbed a bank in real life for a very long time. Who would take care of the children?

Marriage Quotes

Author Unknown on these quotes. Received these in an e-mail from one of my e-mail groups. Just wanted to share them.

"Experience the wonder of the weekly date. Not only does the much-recommended weekly date allow husband and wife to spend time in enjoyable activities together, it also sends the message that the relationship is important. One couple I worked with found an easy way to plan dates. Each submitted a list of 10 activities he or she would enjoy with the partner. They cut their two papers into 20 small suggestion slips and put these in a bowl. Then each Sunday, during the weekly marriage council meeting they had established, they would draw one slip from the bowl and pursue that activity as their date for the week."

"So often we seek a change in our condition when what we really need is a change in our attitude."

"Love is like a flower, and, like the body, it needs constant feeding. The mortal body would soon be emaciated and die if there were not frequent feedings. The tender flower would wither and die without food and water. And so love, also, cannot be expected to last forever unless it is continually fed with portions of love, the manifestation of esteem and admiration, the expressions of gratitude, and the consideration of unselfishness.

Total unselfishness is sure to accomplish another factor in successful marriage. If one is forever seeking the interests, comforts, and happiness of the other, the love found in courtship and cemented in marriage will grow into mighty proportions. Many couples permit their marriages to become stale and their love to grow cold like old bread or worn-out jokes or cold gravy. Certainly the foods most vital for love are consideration, kindness, thoughtfulness, concern, expressions of affection, embraces of appreciation, admiration, pride, companionship, confidence, faith, partnership, equality, and interdependence. "

"We build our marriages with endless friendship, confidence, integrity, and by administering and sustaining each other in our difficulties.
There are a few simple, relevant questions which each person, whether married or contemplating marriage, should honestly ask in an effort to become one flesh. They are:

First, am I able to think of the interest of my marriage and partner first before I think of my own desires?

Second, how deep is my commitment to my companion, aside from any other interests?

Third, is he or she my best friend?

Fourth, do I have respect for the dignity of my partner as a person of worth and value?

Fifth, do we quarrel over money? Money itself seems neither to make a couple happy, nor the lack of it, necessarily, to make them unhappy, but money is often a symbol of selfishness.

Sixth, is there a spiritually sanctifying bond between us?"

Dressing Up

Do you like to get dressed up? Why/why not? When's the last time you had a chance to dress formally?

I so do not like to get dressed up. I'd much rather be comfortable in a pair of sweat pants and sweat shirt. I don't even like to wear jeans because they aren't comfortable.

Man it's been so long since I dressed up that I really had to rack my brain on this one. I think the last time was June 2005 when my husband and I went on a cruise to Puerto Rico. Yes, this was after the triplets were born. My parents and in-laws took care of them while we went on our 10 year wedding anniversary vacation cruise.

Dreams

What do you dream about lately (literally or otherwise)? I don't sleep much but when I do lately I've been dreaming about quality time with my husband (sex). Hey, you asked.

I looked this up in the dream dictionary and it means:
Intercourse - Union. Release. Pleasure. Creation. Sexuality.

My husband works extremely long hours and we hardly spend any time together alone as a couple or together as a family.

Hope this wasn't too offensive.

Tardiness

(noun)
the quality or habit of not adhering to a correct or usual or expected time.

Do you usually arrive on time or late? I arrive on time. I have always been an on time type of person. If I do run late or over the time limit I get extremely stressed out. I always plan to arrive at least 1/2 hour to 15 minutes early. Now, with the triplets they do slow me down a bit and we are now moving to the 15 minutes early or right on time. My clock in my bedroom is 1/2 hour ahead and my clock in the kitchen is 10 minutes fast. In my car it is off by an hour. I don't know how to change the clock for the day light savings and haven't had my husband fix it yet. Yes, I like to be on time and by setting clocks ahead that is the way I am able to do it.

Do you get annoyed when other people arrive late or you really donÂ’t care? It really depends on the situation. If it affects me and makes me late then yes I do get annoyed. If I have to go somewhere like for an appointment or activity and I am waiting on someone to come with me I get extremely stressed out if they are late because then it makes me late. If we are already at the party or activity then I really don't care if they are late or not since I am not the one late.

Kindness of a Stranger

Describe a time when you have benefitted from the kindness of a stranger. Most of the time people are rude. Maybe I just notice it more now that I have the triplets. Maybe because we stick out like a sore thumb when we are in public and the comments from strangers are down right rude like "I'd rather be dead to have triplets", or "You must have your hands full", or "Here comes the bus" etc. etc. Sometimes I'd rather just stay at home then to deal with the public. Sorry to go off subject. Okay, when did I benefit from the kindness of a stranger? The only thing I can think of is when someone holds the door for us when we are going places like to the library or a store. No, wait! There was this one time that I took the triplets to Wendy's by myself for lunch. Yes, we are now going inside to eat instead of the drive through. Well, on my way out I had to hold the triplets hands plus hold my husband's lunch. Okay, how in the world can I hold 3 children's hands and plus hold lunch too? I was struggling at the door and a woman and her husband were going out and she offered to walk us to the car and hold one of my child's hands. Now, normally I would be very suspicious but she seemed very nice and she even told me that she was a grandmother of twins so she knew what I was going through. Anyway, she walked us to the car and waited until I got all the kids into the car safely before she went off to meet her husband who was already in their car waiting for her. That woman was like a real angel to me in my time of need.

Diamonds

Credits:
Jacquelynn by Lisa Carter
Alpha Christmas Chic Alphabet by Marcee Duggar
Font: CK Calligraphy

I Wish I Could

I wish I could call in sick.
I wish I could sleep late.
I wish I could go to sleep early.
I wish I could keep the house clean.
I wish I could scrapbook all day.
I wish I could win the lottery.
I wish I could go on vacation.
I wish I could not have to cook.
I wish I could take a day off.
I wish I could take a decent photo of my cat.
I wish I could have one-on-one time with my children.
I wish I could take a crap alone.
I wish I could experience having only one child.
I wish I could get my old sex drive back.
I wish I could be happy.
I wish I could get my giggle back.
I wish I could lose some weight.
I wish I could remember to eat every meal.
I wish I could remember.
I wish I could travel anywhere.

Crazy Days

Having a fun day. Here's a layout I just did. I wanted the kids to make funny faces and Justin was the only one who really cooperated.

Credits:

Font use Challenge Template by Suzanne C. Walker
Teachers Pet by Amber Gray
Doodley Bright by Lauren Bavin
Fonts: DSP Dash and Times New Roman

I have a little I-pod

This was done for the technology challenge. I woke up this morning singing this little song that I made using the tune of I have a little dreidel.

Credits:
Blue Jean Teen 2 by Elizabeth Weaver
Font: DSP Fiona

In Loving Memory of Joey-Bear

This page was done for MommySpice in loving memory of Joey-Bear. Details of the challenge is here .

Credits
Joey-Bear Page Kit by Amber Gray
Batter Up alphabet by Amber Gray

Sleeping Style

Describe your sleeping style. Are you a side sleeper, snoring on your back sleeper, wake at the slightest sound sleeper, sprall across the bed and sleep through an earthquake sleeper? Spill your secrets! (Keep it family friendly, girls!)

I sleep on my right side curled up in like a c position. If I try to sleep any other way I will toss and turn for a while. As far as I know I do not snore. I, however, wake up very easily. The room has to be dark. Once the sun shines through I wake up no matter what time I went to bed that night. I also have to sleep with a fan on to eliminate the outside noise.

Sleeping with the children is so uncomfortable. I always wake up with a sore back as they tend to take up half the bed. This does not happen all the time but occasionally one of them would want Mommy to stay with them while they sleep. Normally, they sleep in their own bed or crib. If one has slept in my bed the night before I become exhausted during the day and so need a nap. Acutally, lately I've been taking naps every day because I stay up late to get things done that I can't get done while the children are awake.

Before My Life is Over

What do you sense you're supposed to do before your life is over? Man, this is a hard prompt to write about especially since it's almost 1 am and I'm exhausted. Let's see! I'm assuming I'm supposed to raise the triplets and to document their lives in scrapbooks. Hey, I'm already doing that now. So what do I have left? The only thing I can think of is maybe I'm supposed to take care of my grandchildren like my mom takes care of my children. What else is there to do? Think! Ah, I give up nothing is coming to me. Very depressing entry. Until tomorrow!

Collect Unusual Things?

Does anyone you know collect unusual things or have an excessive amount of something? Do you? My mother would say that my collection of scrapbooking supplies is very excessive since it takes up my entire office. Not only do I have things in my closet, things on tables, things in my desk the room is filled from floor to ceiling with supplies! However, to a scrapbooker they would say that the amount that I have is the usual amount for a scrapbooking addict. But now that I am mostly digital I really don't know why I keep everything. I guess I'm just hoping that my children will be able to use all the papers and embellishments when they get older. At least one of my children I'm hoping will continue my addiction of preserving memories.

As for collecting unusual things my husband collects empty altoid boxes. For what? I don't know. I think he's just too lazy to throw them away. Whenever I go into his office I can always find about a dozen of these empty boxes scattered all over his desk. In addition to the boxes, I can always find empty soda cans and dirty cups among the strange and unsual things he collects throughout the week. He works in our basement office and tends to bring things down but never returns them to be washed. So there are times when my kitchen cabinets are empty because he has all the glasses from his daily trips to his office.

Love Grows Kit

I belong to a digital scrapbooking designing group. This is my 3rd month designing. The theme this month is love and this is what I designed.

Topic 6 - Technology - Show me your gadgets

I am doing a Preserving Everyday Snapshots for Tomorrows Antiques Challenge. Every 2 weeks we get a new topic to scrapbook about. This week we are on topic 6 - Technology. Here is a layout I did about TIVO. It's the only way we Watch Television.

Credits:
tivo.com for their logo
Gypsy Christmas by Lauren Bavin
A Thankful Heart Add on by Maria la Franco
Mustard Seed by Marcee J. Duggar
Fonts: DSP Old General Store and DSP Heather.

Meeting My Goals for 2007

Most major goals are achieved through small victories. What little things can you do to meet your goals?

Little Steps to Spend Less: Well, I could stay off the internet. Yeah, right like that is an option! Okay, I must stay away from ebay and amazon. Those are my major spending spots. I also have a problem with digitalscrapbookplace but hey that's my only therapy which keeps me from going absolutely insane and I work hard all day and all week so I deserve to have some me time and that's the place I go for some ME TIME!

Little Steps to Love More: To give my husband a kiss and hug every time I see him. He works 24/7 and we sometimes only see each other in passing. Sometimes for meals and sometimes we are on separate sleep patterns. To try not to get anoid when the children fight over sitting on my lap. Try to give them more attention especially when they are wanting to sit on my lap when I am trying to do something or just trying to relax.

Little Steps to Laugh Often: This is going to be my hardest goal to achieve. I haven't been the happiest of persons lately. Been kind of feeling down and crying often. I don't know if I'm dealing with depression or maybe I'm just stressed out from raising triplets and dealing with our financial struggles. I used to laugh all the time. I giggled so much that my husband used to say that when I talked I would giggle and he would point that out to me. I never knew that I was giggling until he pointed it out. I think that when I had the triplets my giggle has been taken away from me! I can't remember the last time I actually laughed or giggled for that matter. How can I bring back the giggle? Think! I must watch comedy central. Maybe watching a comedian again would make me laugh. I can also tickle my children. Just seeing them laugh maybe would put a smile back on my face. I guess this will be something I will have to work at much more than the other two goals.

New Years Resolution

Credits:
Floral Tapestry by Beth Nixon
Gonna Be A Great New Year by Kim Liddiard
Tuscan Red Alphabet by Lauren Bavin
RachaelAH_SNL21_Winter Softness
Font: Not His Angel

New Years Eve

We stayed home for New Years Eve like it is every year. My husband watched the kids while I ran out to get some snacks. First, I went to walmart which was closed at 7 pm. So, off to the supermarket I went to get some snacks such as brownies, ice cream, potato chips, cheese doodles, soda and candy. After putting the kids to sleep when I returned we ate a roast beef dinner with roasted potatoes that I cooked early in the day. Then we went to our basement where we have a movie theatre and we watched the movie "My Super Ex-Girlfriend". It was a cute movie. The movie ended about 10:30. We then spent some quality time together and fell asleep in each others arms waking up at 12:10 am missing the New Year. Boy, I lead a dull life.

Recipe for a Happy New Year

Author Unknown

Take twelve whole months.
Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness,
hate, and jealousy.
Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.

Now cut each month into twenty-eight, thirty, or
thirty-one different parts,
but don't make up the whole batch at once.
Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients.

Mix well into each day one part of faith,
one part of patience, one part of courage,
and one part of work.
Add to each day one part of hope,
faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.
Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation,
and one good deed.
Season the whole with a dash of good spirits,
a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play,
and a cup full of good humor.

Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thoroughly over radiant joy,
garnish with a smile,
and serve with quietness, unselfishness,
and cheerfulness.
You're bound to have a happy new year.

My Wishes for the New Year

I wish you Health...
So you may enjoy each day in comfort.

I wish you the Love of friends and family...
And Peace within your heart.

I wish you the Beauty of nature...
That you may enjoy the work of God.

I wish you Wisdom to choose priorities...
For those things that really matter in life.

I wish you generosity so you may share...
All good things that come to you.

I wish you Happiness and Joy...
And Blessings for the New Year.

I wish you the best of everything...
That you so well deserve.

Wishing you a Very Happy New Year.

Written by: Author Unknown

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I completed 400 pages in the year 2006!

This is page 400 that I posted both on the triplets blog and on my blog. I keep a running total all year.

In 2005 I did only 315 pages.

So my goal for 2007 is to do more than 400 pages.

Circle Journal

I belong to a scrapbooking group on the internet for many years and this year I hosted a circle journal where a couple members made books that went from member to member throughout the year contributing their artwork and pages to their theme. We are winding down to the last 2 months on the circles. Each journal had a different theme. The theme of this album that I was working on tonight was, "What song, quote or poem expresses what being a woman means to you." Well, I thought and thought about this and searched the internet. I came up with a song by SheDaisy (which by the way is now playing on my blog). Okay, why does it mean so much to me? Well, since I have had the children I feel that me and my husband have drifted apart a bit. We are slowly trying to bring some passion back into our marriage but it is so hard with the children and him working all the time to support us. Every chance we get we try to spend some quality time together.

Oh, by the way these two pages are actually done with real paper and ribbons. Imagine that? It's been 5 months since I touched my papers and embellishments. I so was not happy to get glue all over my fingers again - he, he! I think it also took me longer to embellish these two pages then if I did them digital but hey, the rules were to use paper so I did my best and I'm glad it's now complete. All the papers and ribbons were from Stampin' Up. The brads were from my stash unknown company.

Quote from Oprah

"I am woman in process. I'm just trying like everybody else. I try to take every conflict, every experience, and learn from it. Life is never dull."

What Makes a Good Mother?

What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 am to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 am when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child, when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, or a child dying? This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep depreviation and mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at- home mothers, single mothers and married mothers. This is for all of us. Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them. And pray.

Author unknown

Little Man Tag - Font Challenge

I made this tag for a Font Product Sample Challenge located here using the font DSP Old General Store Font

Credits:
Rustic Affair by Lisa Carter
Gift Tag Template by Rene Bross
Modern Princess by Lisa Carter
Fatherhood by Lisa Carter

Story of Us - Title Page

credits:
Story of Us by Lisa Carter
Love Song by Lauren Bavin
BB Hopes and Dreams by Lisa Carter
Tuscan Romance by Lauren Bavin
Fonts: CK Serendipity & Deco Caps

2007 Dreams

Share something new that you want to experience in 2007!

I'm hoping that in 2007 my husband will be able to have more time to spend with not only the children but to also spend time with me and to be more of a family. I can dream right?

No more diapers! I'm hoping in the year 2007 the triplets become potty trained and we no longer need diapers. They will be 3 in 2007 so I'm sure with a lot of hard work this is a realistic goal. Plus this will cut down on our grocery bills.

I'm Having a Nervous Breakdown

Yesterday I really lost it. I think all the whining is really getting to me and the lack of help. I lost my weekly helper about a month or so ago and my mom has been sick so I've been on my own. It was dinner time. I finished cooking a big meal chicken and rice. It was served and put on the table for the triplets to eat. The girls were eating, however, Justin didn't touch his food and was asking for ice cream. I told him, "No, ice cream until you eat your meal." He said, "No, Ice cream!" I again told him, "No, ice cream until you eat your meal." He took his meal and dumped it onto the floor. I got so upset that instead of hitting him (thank God I didn't) I took his plate and smacked it onto the table. Well, it broke shattering plastic all over the kitchen. Luckily no one was hurt.

Anyway I get this e-mail this morning from Ellen. It's a group I belong to about disaplining the triplets. I am also reading tons of books when I have time from the library on this issue. I am doing this alone since my husband is always working. There are days like yesterday that I just can't manage any more. I'm exhausted and to top it off I have another migrane headache. I've been getting them more and more lately. Back to Ellen's comments:

"After the next explosion, I'd try to remember to say to myself:

It's not the end of the world. Anyone can violate his own
standards of behavior- given enough provocation. Don't be so hard
on yourself. No more orgies or self-condemnation. Some of the
guilt you can use- to prod yourself into making changes. The rest,
push away or it will drag you down- paralyze you.

I'll say to myself: 'My temporary breakdown doesn't define me. It
doesn't tell me who I am. I am what I will choose to be- and I'm
not finished yet. I'm still in the process of becoming. What
happened was upsetting- regrettable- but much more important is how
I will conduct myself afterwards.'"

Diet Tips for the Holidays

Best diet tips and ideas for healthy eating during the holidays. My best advice would be to have triplets or children for that matter. Since I had them I can't remember the last time I ate a full meal. No, I'm wrong. I actually ate an entire meal at the moms club night out last week. I so look forward to those nights without the children.

Anyway, back to the subject I baked cookies one day and in 2 days they were gone. The triplets eat all day long. Not only do they get fed the three meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner but they have snacks as well. By the time I finish getting their dinner all prepared and I finally try to sit down to eat they are finished and want to get down. After getting them down. I finally sit down to eat and they become little doggies begging for me to feed them again. So I never get a full plate because I'm always sharing my meals with the kids and it's always cold.

If you really want to lose weight during the holidays why not help anyone who has children during feeding time. Cut up their food, prepare their plates, give in to their every whim and need so the mom can eat a meal instead of stuffing your face.

Favorite Memory from this Year's Celebrations.

I was a bit disappointed in this years Hanukkah celebration. I guess my idea of celebrating the holidays would be for us to celebrate as a family. However, that did not happen. First, I hated the fact that my husband had to go off on a business trip in the middle of the holidays leaving me home to deal with the children. Even when he was home from his trip he was working. I had to light the candles on the menorah and say the blessing alone and had to give the gifts to the kids alone. Most nights and days I just felt like crying but I managed to stay strong for the children.

I think that the children had a lot of fun opening gifts each night. I tried to make it fun where each night they would open up a gift and then I would sit down and play with them and try to get them to laugh and have fun even without daddy's presence. My only wish would have been if my husband would have had the time to celebrate with us. Sure hoping next year will be different.

Well, back to the subject. My favorite memory from this year would have to be the one night that my mom stayed over. That night we took the children to the Holiday Light Spectacular at the Arts Center. We drove through to see the lights with the kids. No, Mom, this was not the favorite part - keep reading. We traveled over an hour to get to the arts center that cost us $15 and it lasted for about 5 minutes which I felt was a waste of time and money. We will definately not do that again next year. It wasn't until we returned home from that trip and drove around the neighborhood to hear Victoria say, "LOOK, LIGHTS" and "LOOK MORE LIGHTS". She said it over and over again as she pointed out the window in the back seat to her brother and sister. Naomi wasn't feeling very well because she was still suffering from an ear infection and it was past her bedtime by the time we got back home and so she says, "NO MORE LIGHTS!" She just wanted to get home and go to sleep. This was my favorite memory. Thanks mom for being there to cheer me up and make my favorite memory with us. We will definately just drive around the neighborhood next year and maybe make it a family tradition.

Even after seeing the many many lights in our neighborhood the children would run to the Menorah each night and say, "LIGHTS". The funny thing about it was after we would turn them on they would all stand there and try to blow them out. They can be so adorable at times.

Dear Santa

This was forwarded to me via e-mail. I changed the words a bit.

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited their doctor's office more than my doctor, changed a zillion diapers, and picked up items every 2 seconds. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years. Here are my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a new back that isn't in pain and I just hate the smell of bengay which is now my new perfume.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the third month of my pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the
phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with three kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room", "Take your hands off your brother or sister," "Get Down. Don't climb." and "No, No Don't touch that." because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the cat.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, time alone to take a crap or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container. If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.

It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding bribes as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back.

Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always, TRIPLET MOM...!

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.

*Santa has asked that this gets passed on to all the mommies you know

Happy Holidays 2006

Credits:

dabratt_SNL20_Paper3
The night before Christmas by Lauren Bavin
SADS ornament

Colour of your Dreams by Carole King

"Live in the colour of your dreams. Know everything you see is not quite as it seems. Take everything that you have to give. If you believe it, you can make it what you want to. All you gotta do is say you will.

Go for the vision in your mind. Throw all your doubts away, just leave it all behind. You are the owner of the game. Nothing will ever be the same once you have played it. You know you're gonna win if you just say you will.

So dream of the day when you will fly. And let the wings of your destiny carry you through the sky. Take everything you have to give. If you believe it, you can make it what you want to, and be living in the colour of your dreams." - Colour of your Dreams by Carole King.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Your Birthdate: February 13

You're dominant and powerful. You always need to be in charge. While others respect your competence, you can be a bit of a dictator. Hard working and serious, you never let yourself down. You are exact and accurate - and you expect others to be the same way. Your strength: You always get the job done Your weakness: You're a perfectionist to a fault Your power color: Gray Your power symbol: Checkmark Your power month: April

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Recipe for Happiness

1 Hardworking Sexy Husband
3 Healthy Good (*Note: I said good not bad) Children
2 Cute Furry Cats
Lots of Hugs and Kisses

Mix first three ingredients in a warm 73 degree house. Add lots of hugs and kisses and cook for years.

5 Things in Winter

List five things that make up a perfect winter day.

Well, lets just start out by saying that I dislike winter, so, my 5 things will sound negative but I will do my best to turn it around to the positive side to make it a perfect day. Some of what I say may be a fairy tale or a dream because it will never happen in real life.

1. If the temp could be warmer than freezing. 50's are good. Anything lower than that is freezing. Well, really anything lower than 70 is cold to me. However, I can handle 50 with a nice coat and gloves. It's the colder weather that I cannot tollerate. Every winter I wind up getting chapped hands and lips from the cold weather. I'd much rather stay in the house then get all bundled up to go in that cold air. Not to mention the longer time it takes us to get out of the house with all the coats, hats, mittens, etc. It's not easy with 3 little ones who still need help getting dressed.

2. Snow that doesn't have to be shoveled or driven in. If it snowed and it was there for the day for us to play in such as sleigh ride, make snowmen and maybe snowballs would be fun. The children enjoyed the snow instead of cring. Last year they totally hated the snow. I'm hoping that this year it will be different. If the next day it melted so there was no clean up involved that would be a perfect winter snow day. If we didn't have to drive to the store or to work and didn't have to leave the house for any reason that too would be a perfect snow day. Or maybe if we had someone else shovel or snow blow our driveway and walkway so I don't have to worry about my husband having a heart attack while he's cleaning up the snow mess. Cleaning up snow is not fun and just a hassle. Can you tell I hate snow?

3. Come inside after playing in the snow to a hot cup of hot chocolate with marshmellows. Who am I kidding? A cup of hot chocolate any time is delicious.

4. If it didn't get dark so early. It gets dark here at 5 pm which is way too early in my opinion. Why does it have to get dark so early and light so early? The sun starts to show up at 6 am which wakes up everyone. Luckily I got some dark shades for the kids rooms so they can sleep longer but before I got those shades the waking up at 6 am was ridiculous.

5. If we were all healthy and didn't suffer from colds. It seems since winter is approaching we are getting more and more sicknesses in our house. We've had our share of ear infections, colds and even stomach viruses in the last 2 weeks. Last year we stayed inside the entire winter so the sicknesses were less. However, now that they are older and we are venturing out to different activities we are starting to get sick more.

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

You Are a Snowman

Friendly and fun, you enjoy bringing holiday cheer to everyone you know!

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

Loungeroom/Play Room

Our couch has a pull out bed where my mom sleeps when she visits. Drapped over the edge are blankets that my grandmother crocheted for us. You can see the kitchen behind it..........

Our family room turned into the play room when the triplets were born. This is where they watch their tv shows. Favorites would be Sesame Street, Barney and Comfy Couch.

Our tv was purchased when we first got married over 11 years ago. It was serviced once. The wall unit was purchased when we moved into our house 7 years ago. We love TIVO.

Credits:
Element chipboard loungeroom - DSP Designers
Ribbonorama by Lauren Bavin
Text Path 2 by Lauren Bavin
Fonts: LD Beatnik and CK Wellington

Digital Scrapbooking

Fill in the blank and then tell us about it:

I enjoy Digital Scrapbooking now, but if anyone had told me that years ago, I would never have believed them.

This is a totally true statement. A couple of years ago my husband tried to get me to go digital and I kept saying no. I was totally addicted to scrapbooking the paper kind that I just couldn't see myself going digital. My husband kept saying that digital was the way to go and that many others will follow but I guess I just did not believe him. He is always right about everything so why didn't I go digital back then? I guess I was afraid of change and all the money I have spent on papers and embellishments I didn't want to give up. When the triplets turned 2 years old this past August my husband bought me a laptop computer and I decided to take the plunge and downloaded adobe photoshop elements the trial version (30 days they give you free). In the 30 days I took tutorial after tutorial when the children were napping or sleeping. Since August I have not turned back to my regular paper scrapbooking and I have turned into a major digital scrapbooking junkie. I can't get enough of fonts, freebies, and I have been purchasing lots of stuff (which I really need to cut back on). But hey, it's been my major stress reliever. I have even started to make digital items. I have been carrying my laptop all over and find it way easier and faster than paper scrapping. I love the fact that I can take one piece of paper well I should say digital background and change the color to match my photos. I am a major perfectionist and always had to have my papers and things match my photos so doing this digital fits my perfectionism so much better. If I would have listened to my husband years ago I'm sure by now I probably would be a digital designer but right now it's at a slow pace just learning new things every now and then but hey, in 4 months I have come a very long way.

Honey, you are always RIGHT!

Women's Poem

This poem I thought was very cute. I received it from one of the triplet mom's I don't know the original writer but wanted to share.

He didn't like the casserole
And he didn't like my cake.
He said my biscuits were too hard...
Not like his mother used to make.
I didn't perk the coffee right
He didn't like the stew,
I didn't mend his socks
The way his mother used to do.
I pondered for an answer
I was looking for a clue........

Then I turned around and smacked him...
Like his mother used to do!

Author: unknown

What sets you apart from the crowd?

Well, that's an easy question for me. I have 3 children (no not one, two, or twins even) their triplets. They were born all the same day. When we go out somewhere especially if I am alone you should hear the questions I get asked or the stares we receive. It's like we are the circus or I have three heads or something. And, of course, I'm not the mommy of Victoria or Justin or Naomi. People remember me as the "Triplet Mom". It's like I lost my idenity when I had the triplets. However, I am very over protective of my children. I tried for a very long time to have them so that maybe is the reason why I am protective. I just cannot relax when we are out in public. Always paranoid that they could get hurt or even worse get stollen. I have seen lots of moms who don't even watch their children and they wind up hurt.

My Get Away

Where do you go when you want to get away from the pressures of life, family, work, etc. Since I am a stay at home mom I cannot get away from my children but lately I have been locking myself in the laundry room and shutting the door so they can't come in just to get a breather away from them especially if it is a rough day when they all are tantruming at the same time. The whining and crying can certainly get to you. It's like they know how to push your buttons until you have no patience and explode by screaming. So when this happens I try to distance myself from them for a few minutes just to relax. This is also when I sometimes run outside to get the mail. The fresh air and just that walk to the mailbox can certainly calm me. After they finally go to sleep I then go to my computer to wind down from the day. Checking e-mails or just scrapbooking tends to lower my blood pressure as well.

Hardest Person to Shop for

Who is the hardest person to buy a gift for and why? I would say the hardest person to shop for would be my husband. Every time I get him something he doesn't like what I pick out. He always says that I didn't get the better gift or I didn't get what he wanted. So we agreed to purchase our own gifts this year. He got himself a Wii (which we both have been playing together) and I got myself a lap top bag. Since the children are more into the holiday this year we decided that one gift would be it and the rest we would get things for the children.

Holiday Questionaire

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
They are wrapped
3. Colored lights or white lights on tree/house?
colored. I preferably like blue lights.
4. Do you hang Mistletoe?
no
5. When do you put your decorations up?
We don't decorate except for the Menorah and I usually take that out the first night
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Sweet Potatoe Pie
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
Remember when my aunts and uncles would come over with gifts
8. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
We open gifts 8 nights of Hanukkah and then open gifts at my parents on Christmas
9. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
don't remember
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
We used to have a green tree with blue lights that I donated to the church
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Dread it
12. Can you ice skate?
Last time I tried I could but it's been years since then.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
no
14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
spend time with my family
15. What tops your tree?
n/a
16. What’s your favorite holiday tradition?
singing songs
17. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
rather receive
18. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
my aunts recipe of those salteen crackers and chocolate
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
already answered this earlier this week
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
don't really care for them.
21. What is your favorite Christmas special/movie?
Grinch who stole Christmas

My Experience Today

Using your 5 senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste), what will/did you experience today? I stayed up really late last night putting together art desks for the children with my mother. My back, legs and hands were aching since the automatic screw driver died when we were putting together the first desk. Figures. There was 50 screws in each desk. So we put together 3 desks with a total of 150 screws by hand. My mom had a big blister on her hand. Mine is just sore. Anyway, I had only 4 hours of sleep because the children woke up and were screaming from seeing their new desk in the kitchen. To top it off my throat was a bit sore. I wound up taking Tylenol sore throat medication before we left for our big outing today. Because my nose is stuffed up I did not experience any smell today nor did I taste anything. After going out to lunch and taking the kids to the play area where they played all different types of things such as fishing with a magnetic fishing pole, tossing bean bags into a wooden board with holes in it, coloring, jumping in the moon bounce, playing puppets in the theatre, shopping and playing house. On the way back to the car I stopped in one of the gift shops to get something sweet to eat and when I returned my mother was all nervous because Justin was whining and when she looked down his ear didn't look very good. His ear was crusty and when she went to wipe it there was a pool of yellow liquid oozing out from his inner ear. We frantically walked back to the car and I called my husband for the pediatritians phone number. The doctor said that he may have had an ear infection (which his sister Naomi does have) and that it may have ruptured his ear drum. Since we were over an hour away from home the doctor called in our presciption and we have to go very early tomorrow morning to see him.

Peculiar Gift!

What's the most peculiar gift you've ever received? Describe what happened when you opened it and your reaction. At my bridal shower I received strange looking ball like bowls. It was really ugly looking blue glass with an iron like frame that they sat in. There were about 3 or 4 of these glass bowls. They were sort of like glass tube shaped. I had no idea what in the world it was. My husband didn't even know what it was. So, what did I do with it? Well, I tossed it in the trash can. I just didn't know what it was and thought it was so ugly and definately not my taste at all. Anyway, a couple of years later, I finally found out what it was. It was for candles. You would have thought that the person who gave us this gift would have included the candles in the original gift but since they didn't I had no idea what it was. Luckily they were from a distant relative so I didn't have to display them in our house nor did I hurt anyone's feelings that I got rid of them.

Favorite and Worst Holiday Song

Do you have a favorite holiday song? I say it every year. My favorite song is the one which is mostly instrumental and you can hear the bells chiming. I always have to search for the name of the song because I forget the title. The name of the song is (after searching again, of course) O Come All Ye Faithful/O Holy Night by Trans-Siberian Orchestra found on the Christmas Eve and Other Stories album. It's a fantastic album if you don't already own it. I can listen to the entire album over and over again. It's my favorite. Okay, why do I like this song so much? I guess it reminds me of the time when I was a teenager when I played hand bells in the church choir. I really enjoyed playing the hand bells when I was younger. I only wish my parents would have taken some photos of me doing this back at that time. There is no photo to be found and now it's just a memory that keeps fading away. Another song that I love is the one by Adam Sandler called The Chanukah Song. Adam Sandler just cracks me up laughing every time. Of course, I really enjoy all his movies so maybe that's why I like his song so much.

Which holiday song drives you crazy? I think that song Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer by Dr. Elmo is the worst song I have ever heard. It drives me crazy when they play it on the radio over and over again. Enough already!

Time to Blog?

At what time do you normally write your blog entries? Does it make a difference in what you write? My days are really chaotic, well, I shouldn't say that because I try to go by a schedule every day with the children you have to when you are raising multiples. What I should have said was my free time is really unpredicable. If I go to bed early then I wake up early and have free time in the morning but if I go to bed late then there is no free time in the morning. Normally, I stay up late and then drag during the day. I try to check the blog prompts in the morning and then think about what to write and then later in the day when I have a free moment (like now, nap time) I write. I do like to think about the prompt for a little bit before writing. If I write right away then later in the day I start thinking well, maybe I should have written this or that. It drives me crazy!

What Do I Crave?

There are days when I crave junk food. I normally go for something salty but then I also have to have something sweet. Let's see what is my favorite salty snack food. I think the top of that list would be popcorn. No not the regular butter kind. I love the kettle corn kind. It is both salty and sweet at the same time. When I went to California for a scrapbook retreat over 5 years ago a friend of mine gave me some and I loved it. When I returned home to the East coast I frantically searched for it with no luck. My friend from Arizona mailed me a case of the microwave popcorn. Now, I can find it normally in the supermarket. Walmart still does not carry it but the supermarkets do.

I also love potato chips not really the plain kind. I like the salty vinegar kind. My husband tried it once and couldn't believe I liked it. But I tell you it's the only thing that if I buy it the bag will remain in the closet for when I have that craving because he won't touch it.

As for sweets. I love twizzlers. No not the regular kind you find in the store. It has to be the pull-n-peel kind. I think I purchase a bag almost every week when I go food shopping. I hate when they get stale though. I like when they are first opened and they are soft and chewy. The bag will last me a week usually if my husband doesn't get to it.

Besides that I think at least once a month during PMS time I crave brownies. I do not like cake like brownies. It has to be fudgy. The more sweet and fudgy the better. I so love it with nuts and frosting. I found the most fabulous recipe last month that I already made 2 batches of them and snacked on them often. The recipe is called Mississippi Mud Brownies.
I found the recipe at allrecipes.com.

Thankful

After posting such a downer I thought and thought. I want to turn my thoughts to positive things so here is what I am thankful for

1. Thankful that no one was hurt in the car door accident. Luckily I or the kids were not in the car and it wasn't a driving accident. The car can be fixed.

2. Thankful that my husband has started a new job. He is very hard working and I trust that he will get us back on our feet.

3. Thankful for a loving husband. Wish we had more time to spend together though.

4. Thankful that my children are all healthy two year olds.

5. Thankful that my mom still comes by once a week to not only see the kids but to help me with my chores.

6. Thankful that we have doctors that we can trust with any medical issues we have.

7. Thankful for the internet and blogging where I can write all my worries and thoughts down so I don't keep it bottled up inside.

8. Thankful for my skills in scrapbooking as that too has been a major therapy to releave some stress.

9. Thankful for digitalscrapbookplace (DSP) where I have become very active in all the challenges and activites while my husband works and I have a moment to myself.

10. Thankful for the Triplet mom's clubs, MOPs Club and MOMs club where I have met other mothers who are stay at home moms dealing with the same issues I face every day.

11. Thankful for my Stampin up upline Meredith who teaches me new things every month. I so look forward to her nights out.

So, you see, there are many things I am thankful for.

Lucky - What's that?

To misquote Clint Eastwood: Do you feel lucky? So much has been happening here and it's not the lucky feeling I have been having. Maybe it's the when it rains it pours feeling I have been having. Lets see, in the past couple of months well since August I would say. First, one of our cars gets damaged. No, it wasn't an accident mind you. I ran out to put money on a deposit for the kids birthday party at Shoprite and when I came back out my husband's car had this big dent on the door. So much dented that we had to get insurance involved. The entire door needs to be replaced which, of course, my husband still hasn't brought in for servicing.

My husband gets laid off again. This is the 2nd time this year. Our finaces have dewindled down to almost nothing. We are struggling to make ends meet. Luckily he has started a new job and I'm hoping things will get better.

The kids are in their terrible two stage. Lots of whining, crying and fighting. There are days I feel like I'm going to really lose it as the noise level in this house is unbelievable. I look forward to the time they go down for naps and the time they go to bed. Am I bad mom? I just struggle to make it through the day. I lost my helper so I'm a bit stressed. She used to come by 6 hours a week. I'm behind on all the chores and just so tired.

Not only that, my husband has developed some medical issues which I am so praying that they are not serious. I worry all the time and pray that G_d doesn't take my husband away from me. No, he doesn't help out with the kids that much but he works very very hard to provide for us. We could not have all the things we need without him. There is no way I could work as day care would cost way too much for the triplets.

So will I buy a lottery ticket. Heck, no! So much has been negative around here that I doubt very much that we would win anything.

How Old?

How old would you say you are, if you didn't actually know your age? I feel like I'm 50 yet I'm in my late 30's. Why would I say that I feel like 50? Well, I am very tired. Some people can't raise one toddler and can't imagine raising 3. I have 3 to raise. I am so wiped out by lunch time that when the triplets go down for their nap I too take a nap. I guess that's my secret for making it through the days and staying up late to get other things done. My eyes are starting to get black circles under them. Oh, I don't think that I could have raised triplets at age 50 though. I sure wish I was in my 20's with the triplets so I could enjoy them more. I just don't have the energy like a 20 year old has. The triplets are all over 23 pounds and since I lift them day in and day out and am constantly bending down to pick up things around the house that my body aches. My shoulders and back hurt. There are days I just can't sleep because the pain is really bad. You would think my middle name is Ben Gay because I wind up putting that on my back almost every night. I'm starting to get gray hair too. I so need a haircut and coloring. Oh and did I mention yet that I'm starting to lose my memory? This week I actually missed a triplet mom's night out which I was looking forward to and even RSVP'd saying I was going. I even had it circled on the calendar yet for some reason I completed spaced out and missed it. This is not the first time this has happened. This summer I even forgot about a speech therapist appointment for the kids. I sometimes don't know what day it is. I really need to start crossing the days off on the calendar.

Christmas Gifts

What if Christmas didn't require giving gifts? Would it still be the same? Oh, I so wish there was no such thing as gift giving during the holidays. It is so stressful trying to pick out gifts for everyone every year especially if you are lacking funds to do so. Okay, December for me was a very stressful time when I married my husband back 11 years ago. You see, we celebrated two different holidays at that time. I would put up the tree and get no help. We would wind up fighting and I would be in tears over decorating. So I began to dread the holidays because it was like this year after year. Four years ago I decided to convert. I did a year of studying and finally converted in December 2003. I donated my tree and all the decorations to the church as I already posted earlier this week. Anyway, once all that was removed from my house it was like a big weight was lifted off my shoulders. No more fights and no more tears over decorating. We still, however, have to get gifts for everyone but this year we are only getting the children so it's a bit easier.

Favorite Games

Favorite board game - Boy it's been a while since I played a board game. I'm so tempted to get candy land and shoots and ladders for the kids but I still think they are too young to play them. Okay, back to my favorite board game. I would have to say "Life" was my favorite board game when I was younger. I used to play it with my sister.

Favorite video game - I don't play video games that often but my all time favorite video game would have to be pac man. But hey, did anyone get to play with the new game system that is out now called the wii? My husband just had to get it and it is a lot of fun. My mom even likes playing it. One night when she slept over we played tennis and bowling together. I think her favorite game there would be the tennis as she played for hours and then the next game she likes is the bowling. You certainly can get a workout playing this game as my arms and shoulders were killing me the next day. I also played the boxing. It was a great stress releaver as I played with my husband and I felt like I was beating him up but really wasn't. He! He! It was one of those bad days when he didn't help with the children so we faught it out with the game system. It was a lot of fun.

Favorite card came - I would say my favorite card game would be UNO. It's a lot of fun playing this game with a group of friends. But, of course, haven't played this in a while as well.

I did recently purchase a BUNCO game set from BJ's. I bought the one which has the case and I did actually get to play it the one time my grandmother slept over recently. It's a lot of fun but I really think we played wrong though as we were mainly trying to follow directions from the instructions that came with the kit. I know BUNCO is very popular in the west coast but here in the east coast it's really foreign. Wish I could find someone who really knows how to play here.

Cooking Skills 11 Years Ago

When I got married over 11 years ago I hardly knew how to cook. Of what I remember growing up my dad did most of the cooking and when he didn't I remember ordering out a lot. I remember pizza deliveries, chinese food, chicken or whatever being delivered to the house. Of course, my mom said she cooked yet why is it I don't remember her cooking? Oh, it could be I'm losing my memory as I have been forgetting about things lately. Luckily I'm not alone here as I have spoken with other triplet moms and they too are having memory problems. It could be caused by mommy brain they call it from having way too many children. Okay, now stop laughing.

Anyway, I have learned a lot by taking cooking classes at the local supermarket and I have also watched tons of food network shows. While on maternity leave I think that's all I ever watched was the food network. My favorite cooks would be Paula Deen and Giada De Laurentiis. I have also watched Rachael Ray but I find that yes her meals are quick 30 minutes but I can't find the ingredients to make it or that it's not to my family's liking. Our family are very picky eaters. No fish of any kind. We no longer eat pork. So we are left with chicken and beef. My husband won't eat any veggies but yet has to have a meat for every meal. So the meal planning thing is a major struggle that I face almost every day. "What's for Dinner?" is a question I get asked often and I tell you there are days I just don't know what to feed us and luckily those are the days we have take out - pizza or chinese as that's the only thing that delivers here in our area.

Favorite Decoration

Do you have a favorite ornament or decoration that you display at this time of year? Tell us its story. All my ornaments and decorations were donated to the church when I converted 3 years ago except for a tree skirt which I quilted. I think I gave the skirt to my sister as I have no idea where I put it. It was blue and green and silver because my Christmas tree was decorated in blue and silver every year to coordinate with both Hanukkah and Christmas.

We have always had a Menorah that you plug in and use orange light bulbs in but when I converted we learned that the true Hanukkah lighting of the lights was not a light bulb but real candles. So 3 years ago I purchased a silver Menorah which you put really skinny candles in. The first year we did the blessing over the lighting of the real candles but it caused a big mess from all the wax burning and each night I had to clean it up to light more candles so last year we just used it for decoration on the kitchen table. Unfortunately, this year we will have to place it higher somewhere out of the reach of little hands since we no longer have anything on the table for them to reach. We continue to use the fake Menorah in our living room window using the orange light bulbs. Last year my husband took turns each night doing the blessing with each of our children. I'm sure we will do that again this year.

Favorite Childhood Cartoon and TV Show

I don't remember any cartoons that I watched while I was growing up except for the Flintstones and Tom and Jerry but I didn't watch them on a regular basis.


I think my favorite tv show would have to be the Brady Bunch. I must have seen every episode. I liked the show so much that when my parents asked me what I would like my little sister's name to be I gladly said, "Cindy". My sisters name is actually Cynthia but for short we call her Cindy. Hey, sis, if you are reading this, yeah your name probably came from the show I used to watch at age 6.

What kind of Tree Would I Be?

If I had to choose what tree I'd be it would be the Lime Tree. I accept what life dished out to me sometimes not liking it but again that's my complaining side kicking in. I hate fighting and try to avoid it at any cost. I am not good with dealing with stress. When I am stressed I feel very ill and get very bad headaches. I'm a bit on the lazy side where I hate to clean and only do so if I have to do it. I have many talents but am not tenacious enough to make them blossom. I am very crafty. I know how to scrapbook, rubber stamp, crochet, knit and quilt. I really enjoy digital scrapbooking now and photography. I do not wail but my husband does say that I complain a lot. I am very loyal but have a bad jealous streak. I make sacrifices for family and friends especially if it is craft related.

According to Tree Astrology , I am:
Cedar (the Confidence)
Of rare beauty, knows how to adapt, likes luxury, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, determined, impatient, wants to impress others, many talents, industrious, healthy, optimism, waiting for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.

Favorite Winter Memory

My favorite winter memory would have to be back in the 80's when I was in middle school when we had a very big snow storm. So much snow that the schools were even closed. You see, I lived in the state of NY when I was growing up and they do not close schools for snow but this was the one time that they did close the schools. I hated shoveling the snow as we had a big driveway but I do remember building big walls and tunnels with the snow that my sister, friends and I would climb around in. We never had that much snow again.

Behind Every Successful Mother is a Basket of Dirty Laundry

Journaling reads:
One struggle I face on a daily basis is the never ending piles of laundry. My children now help by putting in and taking out clothes from the washer/ dryer. They cannot fold
and if left alone you will come back to piles of clothes on the floor after you just spent all your time folding.

Credits:
Mary's Garden by Rene Bross

My Sister, My Friend

Credits:
Barber Shop Page Kit by Amber Gray
Sister Wordart by Tina Chambers
Maisies Garden by Lauren Bavin