Birthday Week!

I posted this in my family blog back in September, and was inspired to post it here after reading another triplet Mom's blog.

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Birthdays are very special in our family. We make a big deal of them. The birthday child gets to choose their dinner, their cake and ice cream, be king / queen for the day. So what do you do when you have three children who share a birthday? It took us a few years, but we finally came up with something that works. You have a Birthday WEEK, of course!

We actually started this last year, and it worked out great. I started an entry about it but never got around to posting. It started out with the triplets and me sitting on the couch with a notebook and pen brainstorming ideas. First I eliminated certain days from the mix - Friday night was out due to high school football and such. Then I suggested we mix up the order a bit - normally we end up in birth order: Matthew, Stephen, Mary. They liked that idea and were surprisingly agreeable. Each nabbed a day with NO arguing at all! So we ended up with this schedule:

Wednesday: Stephen
Thursday: Actual birthday with group cake and presents; cupcakes at school
Friday: off for football game
Saturday: Mary
Sunday: Matthew

Next I had them choose their menu. Dinner, cake, ice cream, and cupcakes to take to school. They chose a dinner and cake they could all agree on for their actual birthday. Believe it or not, again they were quite agreeable. Stephen said, "How about tacos"? "Mmm, tacos!" said the others, and it was decided. Mary said, "chocolate mousse cake!" and the others said, "yeah!" The boys were concerned that they picked the same main dish for their own dinner. "First off, it's your dinner, you choose, it doesn't matter if someone else picks the same thing", I said. "But look, it's not even two nights in a row!" Sure enough, they had the first and last nights. Problem solved.

Wednesday

This was the busiest day for me. Not only did I have Stephen's dinner and cake to make, but I had to prepare 6 dozen cupcakes! Yikes! I think next year I'll start those earlier and freeze them. They really prefer the homemade cupcakes (yes, I use a mix! I can't bake from scratch to save my life!) and they said the other kids loved them too. Plus when I see the price of 6 dozen cupcakes...well, you do the math!

Mary chose half vanilla with chocolate frosting, and half chocolate with vanilla frosting.



Matthew loved that idea! Only he wanted the chocolate and vanilla all in the same cupcake! So I just layered the chocolate and vanilla. This was a huge hit with the kids, although it was a bit harder on the chef. Because I can only bake 12 cupcakes at a time, logistically it worked out to have half with vanilla on bottom and half with chocolate on bottom. Oh, and he asked for "yellow" frosting. Not lemon - just yellow!



BTW, I make my own frosting. It's so much better than the canned stuff, and only takes 2 minutes more to make it, saves money, and you know what's in it! Simple enough to toss in a few drops of yellow.





Stephen asked for lemon cupcakes. With vanilla frosting. I'm ashamed to admit I didn't get pics of his. I finished the cakes late at night and frosted them in the morning, and was exhausted! I also didn't get a pic of the stack of boxes I had to carry to the school! Bad Mommy!

Taking them to school was fun. I got to park right out front, thank goodness. Still, it took 2 trips to get them into the office. I planned to take them to the classrooms, but couldn't carry them all by myself. Mrs. P in the office called down to Matthew's room. "Oh, she can just bring them!" was the answer. Yeah! LOL! But Mary was allowed to come help me, and we took them back. Everyone was impressed I had made them myself. Doesn't anyone else make cupcakes anymore?

They would have been a lot easier to carry if I HAD gotten them at the bakery. They come in a box! Oh well...I will have to plan better next time or just suck it up.

But - I'm getting ahead of myself! I took those to school on Thursday, and I'm still writing about Wednesday.

Here is Stephen's chosen menu:

Spaghetti
Garlic bread
French Fries
Pineapple
Vanilla cake, vanilla frosting, vanilla ice cream. "That's a lot of vanilla!" I said. "It's a vanilla FESTIVAL!" he shouted happily.

Stephen's Vanilla Festival:




There were no presents on individual days. We did those on the birthday itself.

Thursday - The Birthday!

Tacos, and chocolate mousse cake. Easy-peasy. I think I bought some of BlueBell's new Snickerdoodle ice cream (BTW - yum!), and also served the vanilla from last night.



They fell in love with Chocolate Mousse Cake from a local bakery. Mary and I made up our own recipe and it was delicious. Bake a chocolate cake, and frost with

Mary and Mommy's Super-Duper-Deluxe Mousse Stuff
1 pkg, instant chocolate pudding mix
2 T cocoa powder
4 T powdered sugar
1 -1/2 cups heavy cream

Beat it till it's done. This would have been thick enough to put in between layers, but I didn't think it would so we frosted a sheet cake with it. Mmmmmm.

Of course there were presents galore. We didn't go overboard, but with 7 people plus grandparents buying a gift apiece for 3 kids, it does look like Christmas!



That's Stephen in his Birthday crown.

Now see, this is why I often wonder why I spend money on presents. All SIX of them played with these paper tubes!



I can't believe my babies are 7. Sigh.

Saturday

Mary's day. This was a big day for her as she was having her first non-cousin sleepover at our house!

Mary's menu:

Steak
Tater Tots
Spinach
Pineapple
"A Chocolate Festival, Mom!" - Chocolate cake and frosting. Chocolate ice cream. With PINK candles, of course!





Sunday

Matthew's day. When choosing the cake: "Mom, I want a festival of, what's that word when you have all different kinds of stuff?" "Variety?" "Yeah, that. I want a Variety Festival!"

Matthew's menu:

Spaghetti
Garlic bread
Sliced tomatoes
Green salad with Ranch
Fruit Salad
Matthew's "Variety Festival" - Carrot cake, vanilla frosting, Oreo cookie ice cream.

I'm posting a picture of his dinner because it still amazes me what a well-rounded eater he is. Look at that plate!


And here is what a "Variety Festival" looks like!



The look on his face says it all, don't you think?





It took several tries for him to blow out the candles. We assured him he would still get his wish.

So the week is over. Phew! Till next year. But I'm glad we did it this way. Seriously, if we had 3 kids of different ages with close birthdays, they would still get separate celebrations. These guys get lumped together enough as it is. But the most satisfying thing about this was the look on their faces when we sang just to them, when they blew out the candles of their own cake. They will share a party in two weeks (maybe next year we'll move to separate parties, but for now they wanted it this way). That presents its own dilemmas as they share some friends but others don't even know they're triplets! But I'll save that for later.

I'll end this with a flashback:

Snow Day!

I know this won't thrill most of you, but to us, it's a miracle.

It wasn't snowing when the triplets left for school. They said it might, but we all know what that usually means...so off they went. But by the time D (10) was ready to leave, I told him he could stay. The Big Kids went on, because missing school would mean they would miss the band concert tonight. So D. and I stayed home and lit a fire and were just hanging out...waiting.

We couldn't believe when it started to stick! Wow!












So I went to get the little ones from school. I had to go to the store anyway, and I couldn't bear the thought of them missing SNOW!

I didn't go to the High School, because of the band concert. I just didn't think of them at all.

The kids jumped right out of the van without even taking their book bags off! Mary made a snow angel right away.








When their things got wet, they came in to toss them into the dryer for another run. I still haven't found all the gloves! In between, they ate Puppy Chow and drank hot chocolate. What a great day.

Of course it ended pretty soon after they got home, and the rest of the day was spent going nuts. I don't know how Northerners do this so often!

But the day did not end completely happily. When A got home, he said they had cancelled the concert in the morning. "Why didn't you come get me?" Well, of course I didn't know it had been cancelled. Why didn't you call me? "I'm not allowed to use the phone at school". So he got a quick lesson in going into a bathroom stall if he needs to text me for something. His older brother does it all the time! LOL! I know there was nothing else I could have done, because even my saying he had to go to the doctor would have made him miss the concert. The rule is NO participation if you check out for any reason. But Mommy guilt is a real bummer! Hopefully he will get another chance this winter.

I must say there is nothing to get one into the holiday spirit like making cookies while watching the snow and listening to Christmas carols! Who knew? :P

Tis the Season

I admit I am having a super-de-duper rough time getting in the mood for Christmas this year. We had our Thanksgiving trip last week, and it went fairly well, if you don't count the fact that anything and everything (and nothing) was causing me to burst into spontaneous tears every five minutes. The cousins had a great time and the Hogs won the football game (sorry, honey.). On Sunday we checked out of the condo and Hubby took the 5 youngest kids home. Big Kid and I stayed in Hot Springs to hang out for the day, and embark on a couple of campus tours before heading home.

The big news is it SNOWED while we were there! Yeah, real snow! If you count "melting as soon as it touches anything" as "real", anyway. We were in a coffee shop across from the National Park and I swear almost every adult in there went outside at least once to wave their hands in the air, take pictures and stand with their face pointed up, mouth open to catch a flake.

So, long story short, we hung out on Sunday, toured a campus in Arkansas on Monday, and one in Louisiana on Tuesday. We think he made a firm choice for the LA one, but he wasn't ready to commit to me buying the "Campus Mom" coffee mug, so that will have to wait! it was FUN hanging out with him, talking about stuff (topics ranged from politics to religion to music to "nothing") and just enjoying spending time with this beautiful person God gave me to raise.

We got home and I went back into my funk. Everything reminds me of Mom, from the music to the decorations to the food. It seems like every adult woman in town is out shopping with their mother. I'm supposed to locate the stockings and the Advent calendar today at the very least. I am not in the mood to decorate and there is a lot less time left because of the late Thanksgiving. Yes, I know I need to pull myself together for the kids, and I am trying, and in the end I will. But it's HARD, dammit! Will it be easier in January? I sure hope so.

Ending this on a better note: I discovered the "Cake Wrecks" blog about a month ago and it has been my daily smile. I was feeling particularly down this morning (rain and PMS don't help when you already feel like crap!) and I was laughing my head off after reading today's entry. Now maybe I am ready to face the attic and get going on my junk. Hope you enjoy!

Here is Actual Snow, Southern Style :P



On Monday night, we witnessed the "frowny face moon". We were out in the absolute pitch-blackest middle of nowhere, so I stopped to try to get a picture even though I didn't think it would take. But look!!

This is the original, untouched shot:


And here it is, cropped and flipped into a face:


Super cool! :)

Hit the Road

I'm supposed to be packing for our trip, but it's time for a coffee break. Yeah, that's it.

This trip is going to be way different than usual, that's for sure. The most obvious reason is Mom won't be there. I know - she'll be there in spirit, right? She left us these annual trips as a legacy. We all plan to keep it up every year. So that's a really good thing. But it's going to be really hard. We used to cook together, and chat, and remind each other when it was time for Happy Hour.

It's going to be hard. I'm used to doing hard things. I know exactly how it works. You stew over how hard something will be, and worry. I know better than to worry, of course. One of my favorite Bible verses is this, from Matthew 6:

Quote:

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? .... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

This was especially meaningful to me when I was expecting triplets. I realized pretty quick that worrying about what life would be like with THREE BABIES was likely to send me into premature labor...so I physically gave up my worry - gave it to God - and took one day at a time.

Another big thing I've learned about doing hard stuff is that just when I need it, I get the strength to do it. It has to be a God thing, because you don't have it one minute longer than you need it. To those who say they could never handle triplets, I say this - if you had them, you would! It's that simple. Any parent should know what I am talking about here - when you were doing midnight feedings, your body adjusted somewhat. But try to pull an all-nighter after they sleep through the night, it's a lot harder!! You don't need that strength anymore, so you don't have it.

I always say I couldn't have handled baby triplets without Mom. But the truth is I know that if I had to, I would have. So I know that God will give me what I need now, too. He knows what I need, even if I don't.

I have a lot of extra things to deal with, for this trip. I had to call the kennel for the dogs (turns out Mom had already called). The Big Kid and I are staying up in Arkansas to visit two campuses...Mom is the one who would have taken care of my other kids while I'm gone. So I have to arrange for them to get up and dressed (hubby can't miss work after vacation), get the other Kid a ride to school (Big Kid drives him, so he can't just hop on a bus without prior notice), and take care of the little ones after school (luckily there is now an aftercare, so I just have to arrange today for them to drop in for 2 days!). Projects are due, fees are due. I need to plan food for my Dad, who is on a very strict vegan diet because of his cancer - no sugar, no flour, and he believes soy is evil... LOL, you try cooking like that. This may come as a surprise to some of you () but I just not that organized. Somehow it's all coming together, though.

One thing we're doing next week is the burial. We're using a National cemetery in Arkansas, so we decided to do it when we're all there anyway. I will be glad to have that final step done, to get through the party my Arkansas brother is going to have afterwards ("no crying! It's all about fun!").

OK, now to lighten things up...here is what I wrote last year at this time.

Holiday Ramblings

'Twas the night before vacation, when out in the van,
We were packed to the gills, tons of stuff for each man.

The suitcases crammed with essentials therein:
Stuffed duckies, Hot Wheels, toothbrushes, gin (hey, it rhymes. )...

The children were snuggled together on the couch,
lest we forget them in the morning when we moved out.

Daddy snoring softly, I lay awake
wondering what've we forgotten to pack up to take?

The inside of my brain worked overtime
mentally going over the list and checking off each line.

"I think we're all ready. Take a chill pill."
I said it would be ok, but I'm not sure it will.

See, when we go on vacation it always seems
We forget so much stuff and end up at Walgreens

Replacing and spending our vacation change
when we have it at home all neatly arranged!

Instead of a Duck Tour we spend money on
Shampoo, tennis balls, and bottles of calgon!

So I lay awake restless, thinking about stuff
I can cram into the spaces when it's time to get up.

Oh, toothpaste! Oh, Advil! Oh, big coffee cup!
Now, Xbox! Now, iPod! Now, Book of the Month!

To the suitcase, to the garage, to the driveway near the wall

Pack it up! Pack it up! Pack it up, all!

As dry heaves that on the curvy scenic route fly,
When you hand them the trashcan, and say close your eyes,

As the cry "Mom, he poked me!" floats through the air...
And the Leapster games inevitably get dropped off the chair...

Soft drinks spill in car seats,
Chips get ground into the rug,
Dad hits a bump and coffee gets spilled from the mug.

Still there are road games to play and maps to peruse.
New DVDs to watch and markers to use.

So on to the condo the big red van flew.
With a load of kids, parents, and all their stuff, too.

Over the hills far, we drove through the day
"Are we there yet?" always a moment away.
Suddenly almost before we knew
We were really there, at a quarter to two!

Grandad and Grandma came out of their door.
Cousins were playing happily on the floor.
Sweet smells coming from the condo down yonder
Hugs and photo ops and family news to ponder.

Thanksgiving again, time for vacation
To the condo we go, from all around the nation.
Family and friends, old and young
getting together and having fun!

Thankful for family, our love is strong.
Even when we don't always get along!

Count your blessings, big and small, and don't you forget it!
Contentment is yours, if only you'll let it.

OK....Coffee is cold now...back to work!

Edit: Omigosh!!! I almost forgot the Cajun Eggnog! That was a close one

Mother's Day Story 2008

My Mom loved reading my blog. I have a few - my first one that got me started is on a fansite where no one can see it that isn't a member, so then I started another one so family and friends could see it, then started this one too because I love the idea of a public blog but didn't want the family one with all its names and places etc. available to the entire world. Most times I write one piece and post it to all 3, LOL. Every once in awhile I do different ones, depending on the subject. Anyway, I've decided to go ahead and post my Mother's Day piece on here. I'll put Dad's up later.

I added the part just below when I posted this on the fansite blog.

This is the Reader's Digest (condensed) version of my Mom's Mother's Day gift. I've been meaning to write one of these for years. I got the idea from Dear Abby, who suggested it as a gift for the person who has everything, and that it would be very meaningful to the recipient. That was sure true! Mom was moved to tears, then asked me to print it out for her.

Not sure why I just never got around to doing this before. My Dad's cancer has reminded me that life is short and uncertain, so rather than have to look back with regret, I went ahead with it now! I'm working on one for my Dad too but will not wait for Father's Day (even though he is doing well. Just why wait?). I did Mom's first since it was Mother's Day. Anyway, enough rambling! I removed some personal info and pics but other than that, here it is.

I never in a million years would have dreamed Mom would be gone by the end of the year. We've been so worried about Dad. Anyway I am SO SO glad I wrote this. I highly recommend doing this!

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I am blessed to have the bestest Mom in the entire Universe, and for Mother's Day I would like to share a little about her.

Mom grew up in North Dakota. She really DID have to walk to school in a blizzard!

Here is Mom as a girl with her sister on the left. Grampa made that dollhouse. I have it now, and Mary will get it on her next birthday.


My Mom is the prettiest Mom in the world. She has blue eyes and red hair. Look at that hair. That comes from God, not a bottle!


Mom couldn't wait to have babies. I am her second baby, but her first and only girl. Yep, that's Baby Me in the picture, and my Grandad.

I must have been fun to raise! Mom tells me now that if I had been her first child I would have been her last! But I never knew that then. She loved me so much she had two other babies. Luckily, they were normal. Here I am in the front with my cast. I had to wear it for a long time, way past time for me to be walking. Oh, what fun that must have been!


Mom stayed home with her children. She always did fun things with us. She gave up a lot to be with us and to provide for us. She used to work for Time Magazine! She made pretty dresses for me and always made sure I looked cute and my hair was combed. She was my Brownie leader and made sure I could go to Horse Camp even though they really didn't have the money to send me. She planned fun vacations for us to take. We got to go to Yellowstone and Maine, and lots of summers at the Lake in Minnesota. We never got a new dining room set, because she wanted to make sure we got to travel instead. Like I would be writing about a dining room set all these years later! Smart Mom!

Mom always liked my friends, or if she didn't, she didn't tell me at the time. Once I was grown up she told me some of the friends and boyfriends she hadn't really liked. Most of them, I was really surprised to hear that. But she always supported me and trusted me, at least that was her story, even if she didn't trust anyone else. She took me and my friends places, and let me have them over, even if I DID have to keep my door open when a boy was there to practice for band.

Mom taught me skills to survive when I went out into the world. Balancing a checkbook, doing laundry, cooking, and such. I thought she was just trying to make me do more work, but she was really teaching me important life lessons! Mom didn't nag me (too much) about my choice for college. She got me ready and bought me a big basket of supplies to take with me. She didn't cry until after I left. She talked to me on the phone from school when I was scared because a tornado was coming and I didn't know what to do. She held my hand when I broke up with boyfriends or got a bad grade or just was being a whiny, ultra-dramatic girly-girl (although I'm positive I don't remember that ever happening! )

Some of my friends' Moms were not strict enough, and some of them were TOO strict. Mine was just right! She was always fair, even if I didn't always agree with her back then. I was a pushy one, but she always knew how to handle me.

My Mom always talked to me, but more than that she always listened to me. Now that I'm a Mom I know how busy she was, and how easy it would be to not listen, but she always did. And sometimes, after listening to my side, she would change her mind on stuff! Like I said, she was always fair!

My Mom was always there, for me and my brothers. I think she went to every ball game, every band concert, every recital. And now she is there for my kids, too. We are so blessed to live 5 miles away so she can do that. I think she goes to more stuff than I do sometimes.

My Mom was there when I had all my babies, and she was there when I was having triplets, taking care of my kids and my house and making sure we were OK.

My kids have the best Grandma in the world! She takes them on trips and to dinner and to the pool and to plays and movies. She has them sleep over whether one or several at a time. She pays attention to what they like and treats them as individuals.

Some pics of Grandma with her grandkids:







When I was growing up, my Mom was never my friend. She was always my Mom, and for that I am grateful, because now we are free to be real friends, and my Mom is my BEST friend. While I don't think it's possible, I hope I am half as good a Mom as my Mom is.

I love you, Mom!