Oh My God, You Poor Thing!

In the Post-Halloween Sugar Melt Down ...

2011-11-01T14:13:00.001-05:00

A few of my favorites from last night ...

Happy Feet

2011-10-19T07:41:00.002-05:00

Too Tired to Make it Up the Stairs

2011-08-01T22:32:00.000-05:00

Hours of Entertainment

2011-07-26T07:49:00.001-05:00

The Third Cake!

2011-07-22T15:59:00.002-05:00

We're Three Today!

2011-07-10T09:14:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday, my little ones. I can't call you "the babies" anymore!

Yep, Another Cake!

2011-07-01T17:04:00.006-05:00

Have I mentioned that Kate has a HUGE sweet tooth? It is so easy to bribe her!

The very same night that we ate Oliver's "special" cake, Kate decided to go too, so she could have her own cake. She did it all on her own, just like Oliver.

She had much more specific requests for her cake, though - she had obviously been thinking about it for awhile. Purple cake, purple icing, with a heart on top, and marshmallows. We had a little bit of crying when I told her we had to wait until morning, when the store was open again, before we could make it (tomorrow is a hard concept for a nearly 3 year old!), but she was so happy to go to the store with me the next day, and to help me stir the batter.

Now, how do I bribe Willa?

Make Me a Cake, Mamma

2011-07-01T11:29:00.000-05:00

I told you about the success we've had with teaching two of the triplets how to pee in the potty. I didn't mention anything about trying #2 because, well, we hadn't tried it. We figured we would work on one thing at a time, so we really hadn't talked much about it with them. I simply mentioned that one day, when they finally went poop in the potty, I would bake them a cake.

Well, Sunday morning, Oliver came running out of the bathroom to tell us that he pooped in the potty. We celebrated appropriately and the triplets all yelled, "Oliver gets a cake!" I guess they remembered my comment. So Oliver and I made a special trip to the store to buy cake mix and icing, and I let him pick the colors. He asked for a black cake, so we went with chocolate.

I had a little trouble trying to decide what to write on the cake. Somehow, "way to poop in the potty" didn't sound very appetizing, so we wound up with:

The girls were very impressed with Oliver's special cake. He tried to keep it all to himself - we had to convince him to share.

Happy Birthday Gramma!

2011-06-30T08:47:00.002-05:00

Lollipops are the Answer

2011-06-27T16:47:00.005-05:00

I've been away from the blog for awhile, but we have been a little busy trying to potty train three stubborn kiddos. I am a big believer in the concept that if you wait until they are really, REALLY ready to train, it will all go much easier for you. With Evan, we were pretty lazy. He was in school three days a week, so we let his teachers introduce the whole idea to him. We didn't really continue it at home, we just let them get him used to the idea. Once every couple of months, we would give it a try at home and he would tell us, "No, I only do that at school." So we'd shrug and wait a little longer. When he turned three, we decided the time had come, and we had him trained in a week or so. Easy.

The triplets are not in preschool, but we do have nanny help three mornings a week, so I've tried to reproduce our efforts from the first child. Namely, I let the nanny do all the work, and the rest of the week we would pretty much let them keep their diapers on. The girls both went a couple of times each and decided that they hated it. And refused to even go near a potty for months. Oliver, on the other hand, thought it was lots of fun to try, but rarely ever went.

Every morning we would put them into their big kid underwear (oh, the protests!) and wait for signs. We gave up trying to put them on the potty on a regular basis, because the girls would get hysterical at the suggestion. I thought if they had a couple of accidents, they would soon figure things out. Only they didn't have any accidents. Because apparently all of my kids are camels. I would have them in their underwear by 9 am, and they would stay dry until 1:30, when I put diapers on them for naptime. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Even I can't hold out that long!

Well, things went on like this for weeks, until I came up with an effective bribe - lollipops! My kids are obsessed with Dum-Dums. Suddenly, Oliver was going potty on a regular basis - not just going, but pulling his pants down, emptying the portable bowl, and flushing the big toilet all by himself. Who knew he would be the self-sufficient one!

Finally, about two weeks ago, Kate was observing Oliver, and announced that she wanted a lollipop. So she went into the bathroom, pulled down her pants, and went, just like that. And when she finished her lollipop, she went back and did it again. And when she finished that lollipop, she went back a third time. Actually, it got a little ridiculous, and after about eight lollipops I lied and told her they were all gone. How about M 'n Ms?

So after two weeks I feel confident enough to say that two of my triplets are potty trained (on #1). They've not had a single accident, they go when they need to go without me reminding them, and they do it all on their own. Willa, of course, is still holding out, but she is my contrarian and I expect nothing less from her. The best course of action with her is a subtle one - I just need to figure out the right motivation.

Green is his favorite color

2011-05-09T11:33:00.003-05:00

On St. Patrick's Day, we like to go all out here - green outfits, goofy hats, scavenger hunts, and green food. Oliver has been very independent lately, and insisted on picking out all of his own clothes. Here was his St. Pat's outfit -

Oh, wait ... you really have to see it from behind to fully appreciate it!

Fun in the Bath Tub

2011-05-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

The kids have decided that playing in Mom and Dad's bathtub is SO much fun - without the water of course. Here they are being a little goofy ...

can you tell he just ate dinner?

The Big Hunt

2011-04-26T14:14:00.004-05:00

Every Easter we put together a big egg hunt in our back yard - it's a big hit with all of the kids. The triplets have been practicing since St. Patrick's Day - when we had a scavenger hunt using old Easter eggs - so they knew just what to do. It was fun to see each of them respond so differently.

Oliver was pure excitement and joy - each egg was such a treasure!

Willa was very serious the whole time - I could not get a smile out of her. She was very intent on finding her eggs, and wound up with far more than the others.

Kate discovered early on that the eggs were filled with candy. She would find an egg, drop everything, and eat the candy, before moving on to the next egg. She did not finish with very many eggs in her basket, but she was full of chocolate and jelly beans.

Evan, as usual, was a great sport, and was sure to save eggs for the little ones.

Although much candy was consumed, it was a good and happy day for all.

7!

2011-04-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday ...

to my favorite 7 year old!

Brothers

2011-03-31T14:13:00.002-05:00

Hearts are for boys, too

2011-03-21T12:44:00.005-05:00

For Valentine's this year, I was inspired to be a little more crafty and came up with a plan to make these adorable felt heart hair clips for the girls. And despite not being an "artsy craftsy" type of mom, I must say they turned out very cute. Except the girls refused to wear them. They wouldn't even let me get close to their hair. Incredibly disappointing.

Oliver, on the other hand, loved them. He wanted one on each side. Every morning for at least a week has asked me for "two hearts", "two hearts, mommy". Who says hearts are only for girls?

Oliver and his cars, II

2011-03-08T14:28:00.003-06:00

Snakes!

2011-03-02T09:57:00.003-06:00

Kate's new obsession ...

Last weekend we went shopping for rubber snakes for a cub scout project, and from the beginning, Kate was completely obsessed with the idea of snakes. All the way to the store, she kept repeating, "go to store to buy snakes!!" with that excited squeal she gets sometimes. She searched intently up and down the toy aisles, and was over the top when we found them. She gathered up about fifteen of them in her arms, and has not put them down since. If anyone else even tries to touch one, all Hades breaks loose. At least she's not trying to sleep with them.

Feed Me

2011-02-15T15:16:00.002-06:00

The triplets' new favorite thing to do at meal times is feed each other. It's a little messy, but pretty cute.

Finally, he goes back to school

2011-02-15T12:17:00.000-06:00

Wednesday was the last day of winter break for Evan, and we spent it inside, trying to stay warm. After a week at home, we were running out of indoor activities to stay busy. The triplets, of course, think Evan's room is the coolest thing around, so Evan begrudgingly allowed them to play in his room with him all morning.

He decided to show Kate his trophy collection, and explained to her the stories behind each one ...

Thursday morning, once Evan was off to school and I was alone with the triplets, I was struck by how quiet the house was. You wouldn't think one extra child would make a difference when you already have three at home, but it does!

Happy Heart Day

2011-02-14T14:31:00.003-06:00

Sick Day

2011-02-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

On last Tuesday I had to keep Evan home from school with a fever. It was his first sick day, and the first time he's had a fever since he was a baby. I had to go searching through the cabinets to see if I had any children's medicine - I was so used to him never being sick I was totally unprepared!

He was fine the following day, but school was cancelled because of rolling blackouts. On Thursday, he had a two hour delay, and on Friday was home with a snow day. This week, he is off Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday because of teacher workshop days. Jeez, don't these kids ever go to school?? It's getting a little ridiculous.

Bubble Boy

2011-02-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

Snow Day

2011-02-04T15:19:00.005-06:00

We woke up this morning to our first snow of the year. We measured a little less than an inch of powder, which I know is barely considered a dusting in some parts of the country, but it was enough to shut down the city and all surrounding school districts for the day. We bundled up and headed outside as soon as the sun came up, so that we could play before it all melted away.

This was the triplets' first experience with snow. Willa took it very seriously, and trudged around staring at her feet and feeling it crunch beneath her step. Kate ran and laughed and thoroughly enjoyed it until she reached down to grab some snow and, gloveless, realized just how cold it was. Then she cried and begged to go in. Oliver just stood in place and looked very concerned - he enjoyed the snow best from inside, staring out through the window.

Carbon Copy

2011-01-14T12:00:00.000-06:00

Everyone agrees that Oliver looks just like John, Kate is the spitting image of me (you should see my pics from her age!), and Willa - well, no one can figure her out!

Getting Older

2011-01-12T15:11:00.003-06:00

I think Willa looks like she is going on 13 in this picture ...

Are you sure they're related?

2011-01-10T15:16:00.004-06:00

These two are absolutely nothing alike. Their personalities are polar opposites - Kate is light and silly and boisterous, while Willa is serious, intense, and (mostly) quiet. In their first year, they had nothing to do with each other, but now they are finding their way to a real sisterly partnership. I often come across them whispering, giggling and plotting with their heads together, and they have these long, back-and-forth conversations now - I have no idea what they are saying usually, but they seem to understand each other. I love to see this relationship growing.

Oh, Brother!

2011-01-03T07:49:00.002-06:00

Holidays are over

2010-12-29T16:06:00.004-06:00

We had a chaotic but good Christmas this year, especially fun because the little ones understood what presents were this year.

Kate loved her dress up accessories ...

and so did Oliver ...

Willa wanted nothing to do with the baby dolls the girls got from Santa, but loved the Dora talking backpack ...

and Evan got everything he wanted, which consisted primarily of anything having to do with football.

Hope you all had a merry holiday too!

No More

2010-12-17T16:10:00.004-06:00

I've had my camera out all week, trying to get those elusive Christmas card-worthy shots of the kids. Here is Kate at the end of one afternoon of my endlessly calling "Kate, Kate, over here, look over here, look at me Kate, look over here ..."

Looks like I'll be sending Happy New Year cards instead!

Cousins

2010-12-12T20:48:00.003-06:00

Evan's cousin Makayla came to stay for two nights over Thanksgiving. They adore each other, but after about eight hours their relationship develops into constant bickering, whining, and tattle telling, mixed in with frenzied playtime. I've tried to explain to John, who is an only child, that this is typical sibling stuff, and SO much more is in our future.

Obsession

2010-12-07T11:28:00.000-06:00

The kids are obsessed with books these days - they take after their mom!

Trying on her hat

2010-12-02T10:02:00.002-06:00

In an effort to keep the kids busy during the Thanksgiving holidays, we constructed some cute pilgrim and Indian hats out of paper. Willa was the only one willing to actually wear hers!

Guess Who Lost His First Tooth

2010-11-19T09:07:00.003-06:00

So, does anyone know the going rate for the tooth fairy these days?

Bucketheads

2010-11-05T07:03:00.000-05:00

a new use for the candy buckets ...

Halloween

2010-11-03T09:54:00.004-05:00

Buzz Lightyear

Mr. Green

Miss Red

Miss Yellow

Halloween was a success! We took all four trick-or-treating around our neighborhood, and the little ones (well, the girls, at least) walked the entire way and carried their own buckets. I thought two years old might be a little young for this, but as soon as they understood that candy was involved, they caught on real fast! They did not figure out how to say trick-or-treat, but they knew to go up to the door, hold out their buckets, and say "thank you." And not once did any of them try to walk into someone's house. Unfortunately, I could not catch a single shot of all of them together.

Post Bath Shot

2010-10-27T15:00:00.000-05:00

We return

2010-10-26T06:35:00.003-05:00

We have just returned (John and I, I mean) from a fabulous and restful ten days away - our first vacation of any kind since the triplets were born. We had a whole team of relatives watching the kids for us, and they did a fabulous job. It was a lot of work for them! We came home late on Wednesday night, and Thursday morning they were downstairs with their bags packed and waiting by the door. They were ready to go!

Oliver and his cars

2010-10-17T07:00:00.002-05:00

Oliver at the park with his cars. He takes those things with him every where he goes, including bed! No one else is allowed to touch them.

Where did she go?

2010-10-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

The other morning, we walked in to wake up the babies, and we couldn't see Kate in her crib. Then we looked a little closer, and saw a big lump under the crib sheet. Somehow she managed to get under the fitted sheet and pull it back into place, so that all the edges were in tact. I still can't figure that one out!

New Tiger Cub

2010-10-10T12:49:00.002-05:00

Meet the newest Tiger Cub ...

and his dad is the new Den Leader!

Relax, already

2010-09-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

I was reading Eat, Pray, Love last night, and I came to the part where she talks about going to Italy to learn how to experience pleasure. And she talks about how Americans don't know how to enjoy doing nothing - it's like we come pre-wired with this work ethic that won't let us waste a single minute.

This is so true, and something I have been struggling with lately. Now that school is back in session, and I have my nanny days back to myself again, I am finding it very hard to enjoy them. Now granted, I am still working part-time, and nanny days are also my work days. But I always try to do at least one fun thing for myself on these days, even if it is just stopping by my favorite coffee shop for a latte and a few minutes of chilling out. Only I can't just chill out. I'm too busy stressing about all the many things I should be doing instead of chilling out - because my to do list is very long.

Why is it so hard to enjoy doing nothing? Should we all just go to Italy for four months to figure this out? (Sounds nice, I must admit)

Lights on, lights off

2010-09-22T22:23:00.003-05:00

Someone has discovered how much fun it is to turn the lights on and off, over and over and OVER again. It's like living in a disco ball!

Too close

2010-09-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

There is no such thing as getting too close to the toys!

Boy time

2010-09-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

People often ask us if we ever get to spend good, quality time one-on-one with each kid, since we have so many. Well, the answer is, not enough, but more than you think. Evan is the easiest - we've made sure to work in Evan time in each day, usually once the babies go down for naps or bedtime in the evenings. And he has special outings with each of us over the weekends.

The triplets are trickier, though, because they are all on the same schedule, and right now they get very jealous if I give attention to one and not the other two. So occasionally, John or I will grab one and get out of the house with her/him. Kate likes to take walks up and down the sidewalk out front. Willa prefers to go upstairs with me, and just hang with me in my room. Oliver often gets to run errands with John and Evan.

As they get older, and start to develop their own interests, we will have to work out a more formal system so that they can each have that special time. But for now, spontaneity works.

Evening Routine

2010-09-13T07:00:00.002-05:00

Here is a glimpse into our evening routine. Every night around 6:30, the kids get wound up and start this game -

Evening Routine from Angela Vaughan on Vimeo.

Labor Day

2010-09-10T13:22:00.004-05:00

Since Labor Day was a holiday for both John and Evan, we decided to have a special outing, just the three of us (yes, our nanny had to labor on labor day!).

We started out with coffee at one of our favorite spots on the lake -

Then on downtown to show Evan the University of Texas. No, we are not pressuring him already! This whole thing came up because we've been trying to explain to Evan the difference between college football and professional football, and why Colt McCoy is no longer playing for UT. He needed to see it for himself. So, we got to peek in the stadium so he could see the field, and he was pretty excited about that -

Next we stopped by the Texas Memorial Museum - most folks here have never heard of it, but it is a gem! With dinosaur bones and everything!

Finally, we topped the day off with lunch at the Brick Oven, which serves the best gluten free pizza -

You're probably wondering if, in the course of our university tour, we took Evan in to see any academics - classrooms, laboratories, maybe even the library. And the answer is (embarrasingly) no! But, he did inform us that on our next outing he would like to go to an art museum, because he really likes sculptures and paintings. Awesome!

Order

2010-08-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

Oliver is turning out to have a very orderly mind. He spends his days organizing and lining up his toys into patterns. I constantly come across long lines of blocks or cars and I know, "ah, Oliver has been here."

Pool Time

2010-08-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Finally, at the end of summer, we pulled out the inflatable swimming pool and filled it up on the deck out back. The triplets love it, and will stay out there for hours.

How ever did we manage?

2010-08-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

How did we ever manage to grow up without iphones?

First Grade - Yipee!

2010-08-23T15:17:00.003-05:00

Jumped back into our school routine today. Felt like we just picked up where we left off, and summer never happened. So strange.

I asked Evan what his most favorite and least favorite things were from his first day of First Grade.

Favorite - "meeting the new principal"

Least Favorite - "all that sitting around and doing nothing!"

What Did you Like Best About Your Teacher - "she said we were the best class ever!"

Summer Camp

2010-08-21T14:20:00.005-05:00

I can't believe summer vacation is almost over. School starts next week, and I feel like we have missed the past three months somehow. We didn't get out much - it has been so hot here, and the babies (I guess I shouldn't call them that anymore) are difficult to manage right now. They don't like to be contained in the stroller any more, but they are not yet instructable, so letting them run loose in public places is very hard unless we have an extra adult with us.

Evan was a very good sport, being stuck at home with me and the triplets for most of the time, but we did manage to fit a few activities in. Swimming lessons (finally he is swimming!), two weeks of soccer camp, and a week away with his Gram and Pops - his first trip away from Mom and Dad.

Here are some scenes from soccer -

Mall Walkers

2010-07-28T15:29:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, we decided that we need to practice walking the triplets around in public without containment, so we took them to the mall one morning, sans stroller. We chose a Sunday morning before 12 at a local mall with an indoor playground, in order to minimize trouble.

I was mainly concerned about Willa, as she is the one who usually wants to take off on her own, but she was surprisingly great. With the exception of a few unnoticed (only briefly!) escapes from the playground area, she was very happy to behave, and actually walked the entire mall holding hands. We are making progress. Soon we will be able to go out and about like normal folks.

My Cute Look

2010-07-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is my cute look. I pull it out when I really want something!

Ice Cream

2010-07-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

This summer we have been making a lot of our own homemade ice cream - the little ones love it! It gives us a chance to practice eating with spoons. We found these great little bowls with suction cups on the bottom, that keep the bowls stuck to the table - no flying bowls of ice cream in our house!

Birthday Party

2010-07-19T11:35:00.004-05:00

Happy Second Birthday, Babies!

2010-07-11T18:36:00.001-05:00

The babies celebrated their second birthday yesterday. I put together a few of my favorite photos from last year. Haven't they grown?

Giveaway Winner

2010-07-11T18:13:00.003-05:00

The new winner of the CSN.com gift certificate is Ellie ... #18! Congratulations!

Birthday giveaway!

2010-07-05T16:01:00.007-05:00

I am very excited to be announcing another giveaway courtesy of the wonderful folks at CSN.com.

I know you guys are familiar with them by now. Here in our house, we've been in nesting mode, and lately I have spent a lot of time browsing CSN's great selection of furniture for a new bathroom vanity. I'm looking for ways to spruce up our very standard bathroom, and I love vanities that look like a piece of furniture. This one is my favorite - I've always wanted to have one of these raised basins -
This time, for our giveaway, we'll be offering a $40 gift certificate to CSN.com, to be used at any one of their 200+ stores, to purchase anything you like. Cool, huh? The giveaway will run all this week, and a winner will be chosen on Saturday, July 10th - which just happens to be the triplets' second birthday (more on that to come!).

So, here's what you can do to win:

Mandatory:

Visit CSN.com here and tell me which vanity is your favorite. Super easy!

For an extra entry:

Become a follower of Oh My God, You Poor Thing! If you are already a follower, that counts too. Either way, leave a separate comment letting me know. Don't forget to leave me your e-mail so I can contact you!

Thanks, and good luck!

The contest will close on Saturday, July 10th, at 5 pm (Austin time). I will choose winner using random.org, and announce the winner on Sunday. You will have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen.

Note: The Comments counter on Blogger isn't working - it may say 0 comments, but your comments are there when you hit the link. So, keep'em coming!

Next week ... another giveaway!

2010-07-02T13:27:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to let all of you know that I'll be hosting another giveaway next week in honor of the triplets turning 2 (two! I can't believe it!)

The very cool folks at CSN.com asked if I would like to host another giveaway on my blog, and I jumped at the chance. You guys know CSN.com by now, right? They offer over 200 online stores, selling you everything from a new bathroom vanity to furniture, to cookware, baby gear and luggage. Their prices are very competitive, and for many items they offer free shipping!

Want to know what we'll be offering in the giveaway this time? Check back next week and find out!

In the meantime, have a great fourth!

Cooling off

2010-06-30T12:07:00.002-05:00

Playing in the sprinklers at Grandma's house ...

Oliver

Kate

Willa

Playtime ...

2010-06-24T07:52:00.002-05:00

Evan is at soccer camp this week, so the babies and I are keeping busy.

Puzzles ...

Hide and seek ...

Swordfighting ...

Carrying a basket around and around the house ... it's amazing how much fun this seems to be!

Not so brave

2010-06-15T15:10:00.002-05:00

OK, so I'm not that brave after all. After a week of not sleeping (and I mean NOT SLEEPING!) we broke down and bought two crib tents. So many people recommended them to us, and I have to say they are Brilliant! Not only can the girls no longer get out of bed, they can't drop their pacifiers, steal each others' blankets, or throw toys at each other. We are sleeping better than we did before all of this started.

The truth is, they almost seemed relieved that we took all of that freedom away from them. Toddlers really do need structure!

Not toddler beds yet, please!

2010-06-10T15:00:00.004-05:00

We hit another milestone with the triplets this week. We took a little road trip to see my parents over the weekend, something we hadn't done in quite a while. At my parents' house, we have pack and plays for the babies to sleep in. Well, this weekend they learned that they can climb out of them, at least the girls did. It made for very little sleep over the weekend, and I have several very pitiful pictures of the girls with their hands and faces up against the glass of the French doors in their bedroom, looking outside at us.

On our very first night back in our own home, Kate realized that if she can climb out of a pack and play, she can certainly escape her crib. We heard a piercing scream, and when John tore up the stairs and into their room, he found Kate out of her crib with her head wedged in between the girls' cribs, which are perpendicular to each other. Truly terrifying to think how bad that could have been - luckily she wasn't hurt, just scared.

Of course, John immediately pulled out his tools and turned the girls' cribs into toddler beds. They really are too young for this, as they are not yet "instructable," but there was no other choice. I think they enjoyed their freedom a little too much, and here is a picture of what I found when I entered their bedroom the next morning:

This is going to make for a long week!

New Game

2010-05-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

I guess Oliver decided he likes Evan's new game.

Yes, that is a Tarantula!!

2010-05-14T08:30:00.000-05:00

Look what we found crawling up the side of our house the other night, right above the herb garden! Guess who will not be picking basil any time in the near future. I am a little (ok, a LOT) freaked out!

Lounging

2010-05-12T14:15:00.001-05:00

The other day I caught three of the four kids lounging together in the chair, and loved the interplay of light and shadow falling on their faces. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

Three in Chairs

2010-04-19T23:10:00.003-05:00

Don't even ask me why there is a sticker on her forehead!

Winner!

2010-04-19T06:47:00.003-05:00

The Rachael Ray cookware giveaway is officially over, and we have a winner .... #98, sandyandcosmo!

You should have received an e-mail from me yesterday - you have until Tuesday to respond, or I will have to choose another. Please don't miss out!

And thank you, thank you, everyone, who visited the blog last week, left comments, and became new followers! I'm so grateful for your support. This giveaway was so much fun!

Giveaway - Rachael Ray Cookware!

2010-04-12T07:48:00.001-05:00

Here it is, folks, my very first giveaway. The wonderful people at CSN.com contacted me recently with the opportunity to give away one of their awesome products to a lucky reader.

CSN.com, for those of you who haven't discovered it yet, is a collection of over 200 stores, offering everything from kids beds (check out my review of bunk beds last week) to home decor and luggage to cookware. Their selection of products is impressive, and they offer free shipping on many of their products.

And, speaking of cookware, I have long been coveting Rachael Ray's collection of cookware and bakeware - I love the fun and funky look of it. One of you will now have the chance to win your choice of the following from her collection, available from CSN.com's cookware store:

The Bubble and Brown 2.75 quart Round Covered Casserole

or, this awesome Yum-O! Bakeware 3-Piece Bakeware Set

Here's How to Enter:

Leave a comment on this post, letting me know which prize you would choose if you win, and also which color you would like (check out CSN.com to see the options). This step is mandatory, and please be sure you leave me your e-mail, so I can contact you if you win.

Now, I have several ways to earn extra entries.

For One Extra Entry:

If you would like an extra chance to win, all you have to do is become a follower of my blog via Google Friend Connect. Leave a separate comment letting me know that you are a follower.

For Two Extra Entries:

For two extra entries, post about my giveaway on your blog. Then come back here and leave two separate comments telling me you did, so that I can count you twice.

For another two entries, add Oh My God, You Poor Thing to your blog roll! Then come back and let me know about it. Twice.

That's it! It's so easy! The contest will close on Sunday, April 18th at noon (Central Time), and I will use random.org to pick a winner. Don't forget to leave me your e-mail address. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me, or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck, and many thanks to CSN.com!

Surviving Triplets - Number One

2010-04-11T09:18:00.002-05:00

John and I both agree, that if we had to do it all over again (the first year) and we could only spend money on ONE thing, we would spend it on a night nanny for those first few months.

And we had an AWESOME one!

For one week, we had Kate home alone, and that gave us a taste of how easy it would be to only have one! We thought we were prepared for the other two a week later, but those first hours, when we brought Willa and Oliver home, were chaos. Kate was on a four hour feeding schedule, and the other two were on a three hour schedule, so everyone was eating and sleeping at different times, and we needed to pay attention to our older son occasionally. Luckily we had arranged for our night nanny to come that first night.

When we came down the next morning, all was calm and peaceful. All three babies were now on a four hour feeding schedule, on a schedule that worked for us and let us get our then four year old off to school before babies had to eat, all of the baby laundry was washed and folded, AND our house had been reorganized.

Our nanny came four nights a week and stayed with us until the babies were three months old and sleeping through the night - yes, she had them sleeping 10-12 hours a night by three months!

I truly believe that you can do anything if only you have enough sleep! Those nights when we could go upstairs and shut our door and know we had eight uninterrupted hours to sleep and not worry about babies, were the best nights ever. And worth every penny.

So, if you are in the Austin area and are looking for a night nanny, I would be happy to pass on her e-mail (Thank you, Shea!).

Surviving Triplets the First Year - #2

2010-04-09T07:41:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am finally going to finish my top ten list! Somehow I got a little distracted and forgot to post the final two. I have no excuse for it, except for three little 20-month olds running crazy through the house, and a soon-to-be six-year-old who demands every spare minute of my attention that is left over.

However, I realize it has been awhile since I published the first eight items on my list of essential things that we absolutely depended on during our first year of raising triplets. So, to help you remember, here is a recap, along with links to my original posts:

10. Pampered Chef Family-Size Quick Stir Pitcher
9. Beaba Babycook
8. Wub-a-Nubs
7. Triple Decker stroller
6. Boppy Pillows
5. Fisher Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster Seats
4. Honda Odyssey
3. Veggie Tales videos

And now for number 2:

Yes, I know, they are contradictory, and no, we don't partake of them AT THE SAME TIME, but both are equally essential to maintaining our sanity. Enough said.

Big Announcement: My First Giveaway Coming Soon!

2010-04-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Readers!

I am so very excited to announce that I will soon be offering my very first giveaway! The very generous folks at CSN.com contacted me with an offer to giveaway one of their many great products on my blog.

Have you discovered CSN Stores yet? My son and I recently had a blast checking out their selection of kids beds. Evan is obsessed with the idea of bunk beds (he is anxiously waiting for Oliver to "grow big" so they can share), and we found several very cool options, including this one -

How cool is that tent? And the slide! They might never want to sleep, though!

I also really like this one - really love the built-in desk and extra storage -

And, oh my goodness, look what I found! Have you ever seen a triple bunk bed before? I didn't even know that was an option. If Evan changes his mind about sharing his room, we can always try this one for the triplets -

CSN.com offers over 200 separate stores to choose from, and you can't help but find whatever you need from one of their sites. Their selection is impressive and in addition to kids furniture includes cookware, baby strollers, toys, luggage, and even fitness equipment.

So, go check them out, then come back next week for our big giveaway, and see what great CSN.com product you can win (hint: think Rachael Ray!)

Our Easter

2010-04-05T10:04:00.002-05:00

Waking up WAY too early
tantrums
Easter baskets for all
a little bit of rain
delayed egg hunt and impatient five year old waiting for egg hunt
lots of Elmo
more tantrums
tired and grumpy kids and parents
an extra LONG (blissfully long!) nap
sunshine
egg hunt FINALLY
smiles and laughter
plastic eggs all over the house
way too much candy
more tantrums after coming off the sugar high
family dinner and much food thrown on the floor (happy dogs)
one more tantrum
kids and parents completely exhausted
kids all in bed after one last fight over an Easter egg
parents collapse on couch
satisfaction for surviving another holiday with four kids!

FYI, part II

2010-04-03T18:36:00.004-05:00

FYI - if you ever need to get crayon off of your walls (yes, Kate again!), the Magic Eraser works! I don't how, really. But, I am now devoted to it.

Stay cool

2010-04-02T11:00:00.000-05:00

It's getting close to hot here in Austin. We plan to stay cool this weekend - hope you do too!

Yes, she's blue

2010-04-01T13:15:00.002-05:00

Thought I'd share a picture of Willa today. You may be wondering why this child is blue? Today she and her sister were playing with play-dough (blue obviously!). I left the room for two minutes (well, no more than five) and when I came back I found her like this. Apparently she had gotten ahold of a glass of water that was left on the table, put the blue play-dough in it, stirred it around, and drank it! Not the whole thing, but enough. So you see, it is possible to actually drink play-dough.

Mamma, No!

2010-03-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

So, I think I've written before how Kate has a tendency to be quite literal. A while back, I realized that I am the only one who ever works with her in pointing out people's names. If I ask her, "where's Dadda," she'll happily point to John and yell "Daddee!" (emphasis on the ee). She can point out Evan, Oliver, Willa, both of the dogs, and the cat. But, when you ask her, "where's mamma?" she'll point right to her own chest and repeat, "mamma." This is because I, as the only one who ever tries to point myself out, always point my finger to my chest when trying to demonstrate who mamma is. So she imitates me.

I have become increasingly frustrated with this, and have spent much effort in the past few weeks trying to correct her, usually saying a firm "No" whenever she points to herself and says mamma. So one day I asked her "where's mamma" and she looked right at me and said, "Nnnnoooo!" I mean, said it with feeling, shaking her head and pointing her finger at me (I don't know where she got that one!) So now she has a new favorite word. And if you want to hear her say it, don't ask her to say "No", just ask her where mamma is.

I think I give up. She'll figure it out when she wants to borrow the keys to the car, right?

Soccer Camp

2010-03-28T13:30:00.005-05:00

With all the craziness that ensued last week, following the stomach bug's visit to our house, we still managed to get Evan to soccer camp. The camp was sponsored by the Austin Aztex professional soccer team, and he had the best time! He is getting increasingly confident at this sport, and I love to watch him on the field with his new-found self-assuredness. And the look of pure joy on his face, that he gets from doing something well.

Little Boy Blue

2010-03-23T17:35:00.004-05:00

I realize that lately I have posted many more pictures of the girls than of Oliver, so I plan to remedy that today with some cute shots of Oliver I took this afternoon out on the back deck. He and Evan were playing in the water that filled the activity table. He looked so cute with his wet, tousled hair that I had to snap a few.

This is a VERY rare angry shot ...

Nope, see ... he's not really mad

laughter ...

here's his "melt my heart" look - he can get away with anything with this look

Thank you, Germ X!

2010-03-22T13:57:00.003-05:00

FYI - if you ever need to get ball point pin ink out of upholstery, hand sanitizer works brilliantly!! (our Kate is turning out the be quite the artiste)

Family Holiday

2010-03-18T14:40:00.005-05:00

We have adopted St. Patrick's Day as our family holiday in our house. We wanted a fun one that not everyone else celebrates - and what's better than four leaf clovers, Guiness beer, little leprechauns with pots of gold, and lots of green? Despite a nasty stomach bug (Evan and I are the last two unscathed, knock on wood) and a busy soccer camp schedule for Evan (it's also Spring Break), we managed to have our own St. Patrick's Day party, complete with:

Funny hats ...

Green, gluten-free cupcakes ...

Scavenger hunt with "pot of gold" at the end ...

Willa climbing on everything as usual ...

Oliver still a little puny ...

Kate feeling better by the end of the day ...

Picking on big brother

Daddy's Shoes

2010-03-16T14:03:00.001-05:00

Kate trying on her daddy's shoes ...

And in reverse ...

Four in a Row

2010-03-12T12:03:00.002-06:00

Here they all are - sitting still only because they are watching a video!

Mr. Angry Eyes

2010-03-05T10:51:00.004-06:00

In kindergarten, Evan's class is talking about Texas, and his homework for this week was to make a Wanted poster about himself. We had to make up facts about his "crime" - which he decided would be "Chasing the Dog." He put his age down as "48" - (48??) and the alias he chose was "Mr. Angry Eyes." This is the picture we took to attach to the poster - he looks the part, I think.

Another reader

2010-03-02T13:17:00.001-06:00

Kate would read all day long if I let her (and sometimes I do)

Snow, Finally!

2010-02-23T19:57:00.004-06:00

Finally, the weather man got it right! We've been jealously watching our friends in Virginia and even Dallas have really crazy, snowy winters, and we've had nothing. Until today, that is. It snowed all day long - big, beautiful flakes. I know it doesn't look like much, but beggars can't be complainers.

Evan came home from school and ran outside immediately to build his very first snowman.

The snow was almost melted by the time he got home, but it was enough for a decent sized one!

Joy in a Bucket

2010-02-21T09:19:00.000-06:00

Reading

2010-02-17T21:25:00.001-06:00

I love that he is a reader!

A few scenes from our Valentines Day

2010-02-15T21:27:00.005-06:00

Standing on tables ...

Playing hide and seek ...

Reading the paper ...

Kate petting the dog ...

Willa trying to sit on the dog ...

and hugs all around!

2010-02-05T07:51:00.004-06:00

This past week Evan had three days off of school for teacher in-service workshops (3 days!) So, on Wednesday, when our nanny was here, he and I had a full day to ourselves. After running a few errands, I surprised him by taking him to see The Princess and the Frog at the cinema. We don't go to movies very often with three little ones around, so he was pretty excited!

I decided this would be a good time to teach him how to sneak drinks into a theater - a moral imperative, don't you think? We had been to Whole Foods just before, where we bought a can of soda for me and a chocolate milk for him, which I casually stuck into my purse as we got out of the van.

"OK, Evan, we're going to bring our own drinks in, but shh... don't tell anyone. It's our secret."

He immediately became very worried.

We settled into our seats in the theater - only three other people in the entire theater - plenty of privacy. And I reach into my purse for the drinks. And he refused to take his, he was so worried that someone would see us.

"No Mom, just save it for me, I'll drink it when we get back to the van."

"Aren't you going to be thirsty with all of this popcorn?"

"Yes, but I'm going to wait."

"oh, well can I drink mine?"

"Well ... I guess so, but you shouldn't do it."

I tried to drink it, but I just couldn't do it. Too much guilt.

That's my good boy.

All Better ...

2010-02-04T08:44:00.002-06:00

Finally, I think we are all over our colds. Willa has one day left of her antibiotics for an ear infection, but is feeling SO much better. All of us wound up catching it, except for Evan. The kid has an amazing immune system!

Here are a few pictures of Kate, wearing Evan's Tony Romo shirt. These are two of her favorite hobbies right now - pulling all of the books off of the shelf, and reading out loud to the other babies.

Sickies

2010-01-28T12:46:00.003-06:00

Three sick babies + one sick mama = lots and lots of DVDs today!

We'll be back when we are feeling better!

Water Everywhere

2010-01-21T12:03:00.004-06:00

A few days ago we had a warmish day, so I decided to try out the new outdoor activity table by filling up the water side and letting the babies have at it.

They absolutely loved it!

But I may have added a little too much water - next time I will unrobe them first!

Big Girls

2010-01-19T09:57:00.002-06:00

Thank you

2010-01-14T12:46:00.004-06:00

Kate's favorite thing to say right now is "thank you" (pronounced "tank u") We've been working on it for awhile. Every time we hand her something we say "thank you" in an effort to demonstrate to her that this is the proper thing to say when some one gives you something. Kate, however - being way too clever - took it to mean that this is what you say any time you hand something to someone. So now she follows me around the house saying "thank you, thank you" trying to hand me toys or shoes or anything else she found on the floor.

Willa's New Game

2010-01-12T10:44:00.003-06:00

Smouldering eyes ...

2010-01-08T08:49:00.001-06:00

Here is another one of Oliver's ladykiller looks ...

Drama

2010-01-06T20:26:00.005-06:00

Here is a recent picture capturing one of the many (and I mean MANY) little tantrums that Kate throws throughout the course of a day.

Every time that child bumps into something, drops a toy, is given the WRONG thing to eat, or heaven forbid, I look at her funny, she gets hysterical. Lots of tears and screeching ensue. For about a minute and a half, and then she forgets everything and goes on her way. Of the triplets, she is the quickest to tears, but also the quickest to laughter.

Many people have warned me that having girls in the house will bring lots of drama and emotion into our lives, and even at 18 months I can see such a huge difference between the girls and the boys. Evan and Oliver could not be happier and more laid back. Easy! Kate and Willa - oh Lord, we are really in for it in ten years!

Hair Cut

2010-01-04T20:29:00.005-06:00

I finally broke down and gave the girls' hair a trim over the weekend - they were looking so scraggly.

Willa had the most chopped off - I tried to give her a little bob. I think it suits her.

With Kate, I just trimmed her bangs out of her eyes - I couldn't bring myself to cut off her curls. I hope they last.

I cut Evan's hair myself until he was four. After a particularly bad cut I swore never again - I don't want to put this kid in therapy. I can't imagine taking all three little ones into a salon, but I guess I'll do it. Poor little Oliver doesn't have enough hair to cut yet!