Car Seat Confessions

I am somewhat of a planner.

Ok, not always but there are some things I really sit & think my way through.

One of them has been car seats.

Yeah, the oh-so-controversial topic.
Which, for the record, I do not understand WHY.

Why would you NOT keep your kids as safe as possible for as long as possible?

Pretty easy for me to get.

And yeah, I understand 5-point harnesses are a pain in the ass with triplets.

But, I don't really care.

I would hate to be in an accident with a child ending up hurt & wish I hadn't been so focused on how difficult it is to get them in & out of those suckers because at the end of the day, they are the safest.

Which brings me to the topic of the day.

When do you switch from those pesky 5-point harnesses & in to boosters?
When we purchased car seats, I did tons of research.
I wanted to get the most bang for our buck.

We started w/ infant carriers & kept them rear-facing until they were about 14 months old.

Then it was time to move to the bigger seats.

Due to our mode of transportation, a Honda CRV, rear-facing was not an option with the new seats.

And we didn't have the money to dump in to a new car so we made it work.
Sunshine Radians were the thinnest on the market at the time.

They were expensive but honestly, I knew we would be in them for quite some time.

So far, we are 4.5 yrs in to using those wonderful seats.

But we are nearing the time when it will be time for booster seats.
Thinking I would be ahead of the game, I found the Evenflo AMPS & purchased them with giftcards.

They are rated 10 on the top 21 high back boosters.

They look super cute.

There is just one problem.

It is very apparent that 3 booster seats do not belong across the back seat of my CRV.

Trust me, I was out there for 2.5 hours trying to figure it all out.
So, back to the drawing board cuz we ain't getting a new car, YET.

Yes, I was sweaty.
Yes, I was a bit pissed that I spent 2.5 hrs trying to figure this crap out.
But in the end, I am glad we are still in 5-point harnesses.

May bug the crap out of the kids but at least I know they aren't moving.

And I managed to adjust the actual bench to sit up better, thus the fit of the carseats are better on my kids.

No more latch, they are too big so the seats are now in their place w/ the regular seatbelts.

There ya have it.
A tale of 3 car seats.

And one sweaty momma that did all that work to just keep the original seats.

Extra-curricular Activites

As a child, I absolutely LOVED to participate in sports.
I did gymnastics.
Soccer (2 seasons per year)
Softball.
Speed skating (don't laugh...yes, on good ol' roller skates).

And I loved every minute.
Except when I tried to do gymnastics at Bela Karolyi's gym, along side Mary Lou Retton.
That, I quit after 3 months.

Dude, that guy was TOUGH.

So, this begs the discussion on activities with triplets.
I am a firm believer that this is an important part of development.
It teaches team spirit, cooperation, patience, sportsmanship, etc.

But, I think it is a bit tougher to be as eclectic with sports as I was as a child.
I mean, there are THREE of them the SAME age.
Yeah, in case you didn't catch they are triplets {totally being sarcastic...it is my mood tonight}.

I started all the kids in dance/tap when they were 3.
I thought it would be a great way to intro in to extra curricular activities.
And knowing our schedule, doing them together is a must.

Yes, this meant the boy was in dance/tap.
He even did the recitals.
I think it is good for him to experience all this as well.

But, let's face it.
Dance is not cheap.
Dance class isn't, its the recitals!

So, we decided to take time away from dance.
But eventually, the kids needed something else.
Having gone to the local gymnastics for a birthday party, I knew immediately we would start taking the kids.

They love it.
The girls are doing great & so is Ian.
I truly believe that gymnastics helps you get to know your body & its capabilities better.

It has been almost a full year since we have started.
Ian's balance & coordination as well as general strength has really improved.
And, it is something they all do at the same time.

One trip to the gym, once a week.
Sometimes we have to go twice, for a make up.
That is a pain in the butt.

Knowing how hectic it is, I think we will stick to 1 extra curricular for now.
And if Ian or the girls want to try something out, we will discuss it & let them.
But we sure as heck ain't gonna do more than 1 per week!

Did I mention I love watching them do gymnastics?
Brings back so many memories!
I am happy we have the opportunity to give them this opportunity.

First week of school, CHECK!

We survived our first week of school!
Believe it or not, the kids adjusted to the new routine fairly quickly.
That isn't to say there weren't hiccups along the way.

{if you are wondering about the clothes,

yes...I made them...upcycled school shirts)

By Wednesday, the kids were really tired.
And now for the weekend, they still want to wake up at 6:15.
What happened to sleeping in on the weekends?

Not in this house, even with a later bedtime.
I guess it will all balance out eventually.
This much I can say, they are troopers!

What does the routine look like with triplets?
It really isn't that difficult.
The only unfortunate thing is that school starts at 8:15.

A bit early in my opinion but at the same time, it affords more time in the afternoon.
That means, wake up is at 6:15.
Quite the adjustment from 8ish during the summer.

Thankfully, we thought enough ahead to start putting them to bed at 8-8:30 starting a week before school.
And I was vigilant in waking them up no later than 7 in the morning.
This really buffered the schedule change!

{sweet Sofia, she is my very sassy girl}

Our morning routine starts with everyone on the couch watching Martha Speaks.
If you haven't watched Martha Speaks, it is a great show that teaches vocabulary, on PBS!
They love it and that allows for their tired eyes to wake up.

Next is breakfast at 6:30.  I don't want there pretty clothes messed up so we eat in PJs.
Breakfast is anything from scrambled cheesy eggs to whole wheat banana pancakes to cereal.
I try to give them all the same thing but Gabi loves her cereal so I can't complain.

Then it is time to brush teeth, get dressed, and brush hair (by this time it is 7)
I do it in this particular order because if you know 5 year olds, you know toothpaste ends up on shirts.
Don't want to have to change school clothes!

The above is staggered since the kids don't all finish eating at the same time.
Great for me and great for them.
Finally, I pack up their lunches (most is already made the night before) and put it in their backpacks.

By this time, it is 7:30ish.  If we finish early, they get to watch some more tv.
We jump in the car at 7:45 and off to school we go.
Unfortunately, we live too close to the school to qualify for bus service but WAY TOO FAR to walk.

{Gabi is sooooooo excited about school}

Doesn't it always work out like that?
I don't mind though.  Thankfully the school is in our subdivision, just on the other side of it.
And I really like being able to see them walk in to the school, it is a sense of security for me.

We do pack their lunches.  Our goal is that they eat from home, no cafeteria food.
As much as I know they are trying to provide healthy options, we feel better that they are getting a good, balanced lunch selection made at home.

That is our morning routine.
It works for us and I don't think we will be tweaking it.
I am going to make a little poster so they can see it.
{I will share here when I finish it, in case you would like it as well}

Next post, I'll let you know how the afternoons go.
Some days are quite busy since we do have things like Speech Therapy & gymnastics.
And I know the homework will complicate it a bit.

Really curious how we will handle homework.
Hopefully, it isn't too big of a deal!
And if you have older triplets and have been there, please feel free to share your advice!

I'm really enjoying blogging again!
I hope you are getting valuable information from it.
I know I will be thankful later on that I did!

Memories are to be charished!

It has been a LONG TIME...

Life took over.
You know, the doldrums of every day life, routine.

Building my business.
Saving my marriage.
Kids starting elementary school.
Becoming a fitness coach for Beachbody.
Family vacations.
Couple's getaways.

Yeah, that kind of life.

It dawned on me yesterday.
I haven't written in ages.
And we are starting a BIG, new chapter of our lives.

The kids started kindergarten.

Yes, you read right
They are almost 5 1/2 years old.
And on August 26th, they started full day kinder.

So, with the new daily routine, I decided it was high time I started blogging again.
I mean, you see plenty of blogs w/ triplets when they are little.
BUT, the fact remains, not many write about the school years.

My hope is to impart some knowledge about these years & how we steer the road.

I bet you are wondering if we put them all in the same class.
We didn't.
Per their request.

Gabi, my academic gal, wanted to be alone.
We honored her request.
And as of Day 3, she is thriving alone.

Sofi and Ian, on the other hand, requested to be placed together.
The school & principal were more than accommodating!
So far, they are doing fine in class together although they sit across the room from one another.

We are on our 3rd day of the new routine.
It gets easier every morning.
I will say this, they were tired when I woke them up.

Doesn't help we have to be up at 6:15 in order to get everything done.
Yeah, a little early in my opinion but with 3 to feed, brush teeth, brush hair, & dress,
I need the time (and I wake up at 4:30).

So there you have it.
Our triplets are now in kinder.

Loving the new routine & life that we have.
Hoping to keep up with the blog a bit better.
And always, feel free to comment or leave a question!

3 Kids and a Wedding Dress

I'm not sure where I got the idea.

Maybe I saw it somewhere?

Pinterest?

Who knows.

What I do know is it had to be done.

I had to get my wedding dress out and get photos of the kids with it.

You know, the ultimate dress up session.

Mommy's wedding dress + triplets + Candace + sunset = PERFECTION.

Isn't this the most gorgeous shot?

I am completely in love with these 3 children.

Gabi is our China doll...such a perfect little face!

Sofi is so vogue...couture for sure.

She LOVES to model.

This little boy is the sweetest...he has stolen my heart!

Ya know I had to get in the shot somehow.

Why not with Daddy's tie around my head!

We had so much fun.

This was by far the best photo shoot we have ever had.

The kids were completely in to it.

Here is the lowdown on the goodies for the shoot...

~ Eye Candy by Candace "Orange Crush" Mini Session ~

{Orange Crush is the beautiful couch}

~ Girl's bloomer design by Sheelin's Closet, sewn by me ~

~ Boy's white shorts by SIGnature Creations ~

~ Chunky Pearl Necklaces and Headpiece by Stinkin Cute Dollhouse ~

~ Wedding dress, 7 years old ~

~ Daddy's sports coat and tie ~

~ White tank tops from Target ~

~ No shoes or fancy hairdos ~

~ The perfect sunset ~

And that's it folks.

I had to share with you all the wonderful talents that came together

to make this one very special photo shoot.

These photos were used to make a collage that I gave to my hubs

for our SEVENTH wedding anniversary.

He loves it and so do I.

Now, are you going to schedule a photo session

with your kids and your wedding dress?

Hopefully it inspires you!

Hope your Thursday is fabulous!

{I did copy/paste this from the SIGnature Creations blog}

First Day of Pre-K 4

One more year until Kindergarten.

Last year flew by so I don't expect this year to go slowly.

They have been so excited about starting.
Asking every.single.day.

And of course, I got the chalkboard idea from

others that did something similar on their first day.

This chalkboard is going to get a lot of use!

Miss Gabi couldn't wait & is acually in Bridge class

which is an advanced pre-k 4 class.

We are so very proud of her!

Sweet boy Ian and his favorite color "rojo".

Don't try to tell him different!

Precious Sofi all ready to go & so excited!

This gal is going to keep everyone on their toes.

(in a good way, lol)

Sofi made sure they were all "touching".

Mommy always makes them hold hands for at least one photo!

I've got the sweet & the sassy in these 2!

Don't ask me what he was doing but this was "his" pose.

I love watching him jump & catching air!

Hey, no set of photos on an important day can lack the HUG PUDDLE!

Oh, just one more detail about this year.

I am teaching twice a week.

Art on Tuesdays and Spanish on Thursdays.

So I got to have a first day photo too!

Thanks to a kind neighbor that was on a walk.

But before you go, here is one last photo.

The kids 1st day this year on the left and last year on the right.

My how they have changed!

Hope all the families out there had a great first day!

The Colorado Cabin

Ever since I can remember, we have gone to Colorado for summer fun.

When I was about 11 or 12, the first cabin started going up.

The logs came from the mountain.

Put together by all of us.

One log at a time.

And the "Aloha Cabin" was born.

But that became too small for everyone.

And it is really was my sister-in-law's father's cabin.

Now it isn't.

He has a new cabin.

Of course my daddy had to get in on the action.

We all pitched in.

As a matter of fact, I am a master chinker.

And you are probably asking what the heck is chinking?

In log cabin terminology, it is the stuff you put between the logs.

We used nails as rebar and cement to seal the deal.

There is still plenty of chinking to do on the outside but the inside is beautiful!

 I did much of the chinking and loved it!

Looking at it now, I'm amazed at the architecture of this cabin.

I'm so happy that this place will be in our family for years to come.

I see many, many summers being spent up in the mountains.

Enjoying the cool air.

The beautiful landscape.

The amazing amount of stars at night.

The cooling rain.

But mostly, I look forward to the memories.

Our First Family Vacation

It is official.

We survived our first family vacation.

So you understand, the thought of taking our triplets on a

16 hour road trip was less than appealing until this summer.

Why 16 hours?

Because that is how far my parents are away.

In Colorado.

Up in the mountains.

Way, way up.

This is the year we decided to tackle the challenge.

And the kids did beautifully.

Except for the occasional temper tantrum

but that could have happened here at home as well.

I'll be sharing some pics over the next few days.

These are some of my favorite moments.

Daddy and son...together.

My boy trying to be patient and learn how to play Old Maid.

This dog, Happy, was my son's best friend.

Miss Sofi discovering the water.

Actually they call it a "crick".

Ah, horseback riding!

One of my loves.

And my kids were finally introduced.

Gabi was by far our best and most natural rider.

Sofi caught a ride bareback.

{as did Gabi in the photo above this one}

My girls loved riding together!

The photo above truly captures my girls' spirits!

We spent 5 glorious days up in the mountains.

The weather was much cooler than here.

The sleeping was amazing.

The activities throughout the day were fun.

Best of all, no electricity.

No electronic games.

No tv.

No cell phone service.

No iPad.

Nuthin' but sweet nature!

I promise to blog about how we made it work.

Trying to get back in to the swing of blogging at least a few times a month.

It is pathetic the job I have done keeping up until now.

{I did copy/paste this from my SIG blog but will also be adding other info.}