"Where Did You Go Today?"

For the past several Tuesdays, I have attended weekly Transitional Committee meetings at my church. Our pastor of 14 years will be leaving in three weeks, so the committee has been meeting to find pulpit supply pastors, write a job description, interview interim pastors, etc. While waiting for the meeting to begin, one of my fellow church members asked me, "Where did you go today?" This struck me as such an odd question. She didn't ask, "How are you doing today?" or "How is everyone at your house?" I guess that goes to show that we're known for always going somewhere. 

So, here is where we went every day the last week.

Last Friday
The kids never left the house on Friday because I needed to spend time prepping for Youth Sunday. Friday evening was spent at the church rehearsing and finalizing the details.

Saturday 
Jesse and I took the kids shopping at a thrift store, then drove to Jesse's parents for a picnic lunch and afternoon with the family.

Saturday evening
After an hour and a half of downtime, we drove to visit my side of the family for my niece's birthday. The kids love playing with their cousins. I was quite surprised when my brother gave me an unfrosted cake with some icing and asked me to decorate it with a Hawaiian beach theme. I did the best I could do with the time and resources.

Sunday
The entire family attended Youth Sunday. Jackson participated in the children's sermon for the first time.

After church I drove 40 minutes to take my niece to see Pitch Perfect 2. It had plenty of laughs, but did not compare to the first movie.

Monday

After dropping Jackson off at preschool, the trio and I found a trail to walk and explore.

Tuesday morning

I took the kids to the children's museum where we visited weekly for over a year. It had been a month or more since we played at this museum. When I pulled into the parking lot, Jackson threw a tantrum, saying, "I want to go to the new museum. This museum is for babies!"

For the first time ever, we went to the museum's outdoor area. This new discovery turned Jackson's bad attitude around.

We played in our usual spots as well, but left after an hour.

Tuesday afternoon

We attended a playdate at a friend's house to see her baby chickens. After playing in the chicken coop and chasing the chicks, we played in her extravagant playroom, then Jackson went ziplining in their back yard!

Wednesday
I took the trio to another park to play on the playground and walk around the trails.

Thursday
After spending the morning at Jackson's end of year program, we spent the afternoon at home playing upstairs, downstairs, and in the backyard.

Friday

We spent the morning at a backyard playdate with some of our friends. There were several water tables and buckets of water with paintbrushes out for all of the kids to play with. I stripped James and Amelia down since they can be rowdy around water. 

I didn't take any pictures, but after the playdate, we drove to my sister's house for lunch and time to play with cousins, then spent the late afternoon at my other sister's house. It was a long, fun Friday.

Now that I'm all caught up, I hope to resume daily blogging.

Another Year of Preschool in the Books

Jackson's end-of-year program was today at preschool. I had honestly been dreading it because

1. It was on a Thursday, which isn't even a day Jackson goes to school. I like routine.
2. It's completely unrealistic to expect three toddlers to be quiet and seated in a church pew for an hour. Jesse wasn't going, so all the pressure was on me.
3. While I really have loved this school, Jackson only attended for three months, and he will not be returning next year. Therefore, I have very little emotional investment.     

Despite the above reservations, everything went better than expected. The program included ten songs with four transitions between classes.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Between pens, crayons, offering envelopes, and peanut butter crackers, the trio made it through two-thirds of the program in the sanctuary. I kept James and Amelia in the stroller.

Maddie sat in the seat beside me. She was mesmerized by the two year olds singing. It was precious!

                                                                                                                                  

The program was very well planned and went by quickly. The stage was overflowing with energetic children.

Jackson stood in the center, right below one of the microphones. You could hear him singing so loudly! Several people that know him commented on what a great job he did singing.

During each transition between sets, there were photo slideshows. Not a minute was wasted.

As soon as the "three's" exited the stage, the trio and I left the sanctuary. Amelia was becoming increasingly irritable in the stroller so I wanted to avoid any meltdowns. The church staff was so accommodating. They unlocked the "nursing mothers" room for me so the trio could play. The room has a one-way mirror and speakers, which enabled me to see and hear the rest of the program without being a disruption to others. 

After the final song, we picked up Jackson and went to the fellowship hall for cookies and punch.

Jackson came home with plenty of goodies. He had a large summer themed bucket full of sand toys, crafts, snacks, etc. Each parent had to sign up to bring a dozen of one item for the buckets. While Jackson was most excited about the bucket, I loved the silhouette the teachers made.

Even more thoughful was the photo album each child received full of pictures taken throughout the school year. I know this would have required a great amount of time and prep work to make personalized photo albums for each kid. Gestures like this make me appreciate his teachers even more.

Once we returned home, the trio fought over wearing Jackson's backpack. They looked so big. Of course, they will be two in less than two months, which is the same age Jackson was when he started preschool.

Jackson will have a week off before he begins summer school at his new preschool. We decided to enroll him only for the month of June every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. (Sorry Katie and Elizabeth, those were the only openings!) It's crazy that this will be Jackson's third preschool this year, but he's proven to be very adaptable. This has been the most stressful school year imaginable!

Jesse and I were very impressed with Jackson's preschool experience the past few months. On Jackson's very first day of school, I received an email notification that fall enrollment would end that week. Jesse and I weren't ready to drop a $100 nonrefundable deposit when we didn't even know if we liked the school. A few weeks later, all the spaces were full. Rather than be on a wait list, we chose to find a different preschool for the summer and next year. I made the decision to enroll Jackson for the month of June, in an effort to preserve both of our sanities.

The school we selected has actually been our first choice school for the past two years. There weren't any openings when we tried to enroll Jack in the two's class in October 2013, and again when we were switiching schools this past February. It is one of the only secular schools around (important to Jesse) and one of the least expensive. It also has a daily gymnastics program. The only (and pretty major) downside to the school is that it takes 20 minutes to get there. I'm excited about how much Jackson has matured since the fall, and eager to see how much progress he'll make his final year of preschool.

Morning Marathon

I hate mornings. I have always cut every corner known to man, just to give myself a few extra minutes of sleep. It was hard enough getting moving in the morning when it was just me, but trying to get four kids fed, dressed, and out the door is exhausting. You would really think I would have mastered this by now, but I feel like I have 500 things to do every. single. morning.

This is what my kitchen counter looked like at 8 a.m.

From 7:45-9:45 a.m. I:

• made/served four breakfasts (French toast, cut strawberries, poured milk)
• cleaned up breakfast
• did meal prep for dinner (peeled and cut potatoes)
• made and packed Jackson's lunch
• baked two dozen cookies (from scratch) for Jackson's end-of-year ceremony
• put a load of dishes in the dishwasher
• put a load of laundry in the washer
• showered and dressed
• changed the trio's diapers and dressed them
• carried uncooperative toddlers down the stairs one at a time and put them in the van
• gathered Jackson's school things (lunch, bookbag, folder, cookies)
• restocked the diaper bag with diapers, wetbag, and snacks
• dropped Jackson off at preschool (which involves putting James and Amelia in the stroller and wearing Maddie for the three minutes it takes to walk Jack to his classroom, then buckling them back in the car seats)
• realized gas light was on, stopped and filled up the gas tank
• drove to the gym
• unloaded toddlers from car seats into stroller and walked to the gym

I keep thinking our morning routine will get easier, but it's only become harder. Now I'm fighting 3 (sometimes 4) kids to get dressed, not throw food, come downstairs, etc. I am literally sweating by the time I get the kids in the van for school. Getting a four year old and triplet toddlers ready for the day feels like an Olympic event every morning there's school!  

Health Update/Fitness Tracker

I have been avoiding this post for a full week. Last Monday was my first physical in five years. The only concerns I brought up was insomnia and weight gain. The doctor suggested I take Melatonin to help regulate sleep, and try to follow an earlier bedtime. She issued a full blood panel.

The iron, cholesterol, thryoid, and most everything else was within normal range. My Vitamin D was low, and my glucose was high. The cut off for A1C cutoff is 5.6; mine was 5.8. The cutoff for glucose is 100; mine was 102. The levels were elevated just enough for me to be labeled prediabetic. My glucose levels were borderline in March when my OB/GYN  tested them. My diet has only worsened then, so I feel like I will be able to get the levels back in normal range with healthier eating choices. In addition to better eating choices, I will also take two Melatonin supplements a half hour before bed, and a daily Vitamin D.

While diet is going to be the greatest factor in controlling my blood sugar, daily exercise is significant in lowering glucose levels. I'd been researching a FitBit for a few months, and was really excited when a former colleague posted last Wednesday that she was selling her fitness tracker for $50. I just so happened to receive a $50 Visa gift card from my Secret Sister (triplet mom thing) for Mother's Day. I picked up the tracker at my friend's school (located right by Latta Plantation) the next day. The UP24 has even better reviews than the FitBit in several categories, and I've really enjoyed becoming familiar with the features.

It's helping me become more aware of my sleep patterns.

It even makes suggestions, such as setting a bedtime reminder to encourage me to fall asleep at an optimal time.

Of course the main feature is the glorified pedometer. Over the past few days, I have not gone to the gym and haven't met the 10,000 steps goal. Today was the first day I actually reached the steps goal. When I got out of Zumba this evening, my phone sent me an alert asking me to log my workout since it detected a significant increase in activity from 6:55-7:49. It's amazing how fast and automatic it is!

I haven't quite mastered the food tracking component. While it is able to scan barcodes, none of our Aldi products are in the database. It isn't letting me enter the nutrition facts manually either, but there's probably user error involved. Now that I understand the sleep and activity tracking, I'm going to focus on the food tracking.

While I'm not as concerned about the prediabetes as I probably should be, it is definitely motivating to be more conscious about my diet and exercise. I have a follow up appointment in August, so we'll see what changes I'm able to make over the next three months.

Youth Sunday

The youth group began planning for Youth Sunday three weeks ago. I really wanted to provide as little input as possible, since it's not Youth Leader Sunday. The teens decided to focus on the church's newly adopted mission statement. I was relieved that the youth chose to write testimonials rather than come up with a skit. They picked all of the songs and scripture, wrote the sermon (five different testimonials) and prepared the children's sermon. That left me to take care of all the logistics, including 

• create and make copies of the bulletin
• prepare a photo slideshow to play before the service
• create the powerpoint with song lyrics and response prayers
• write transition prayers
• compile everything into a packet for youth to use as a script if necessary

During our final (aka only) practice on Friday evening, I suggested we do something special for the offertory. After some brainstorming and scouting for materials, we came up with the idea to have the congregation write a specific thing they would do to bless someone else with God's love this week (part of our mission statement). We would invite the congregation to write it down on a post-it note during the offering, as a way of giving their time, talents, and resources. We would then ask them to come forward and place their post it note on a display board during the final hymn.

Everything went very smoothly during the actual service. Members of the youth led every prayer and/or testimonial, passed the offering plates, played music (piano, guitar, and flute), etc. I was very proud of their willingness to share their faith and lead the congregation. 

The church members were so receptive and encouraging. I had to hold back tears as I sat in the choir loft and watched dozens of people flock to the cross during the final hymn. It was very joyous to see so many written promises to share God's love. We received such complementary words after the service. 

Youth group will meet a few more times before the summer break, but I am so looking forward to having my Sunday afternoons back! Here are some of the activities I have organized and coordinated for the youth group this school year:

• Weekly meetings every Sunday from 3-4 pm

• Ice Cream Social

• Assisted in Newell Back-to-School Carnival

• Participated in CROP Walk

• Compassion Experience

• Campfire/ Hot Dog & Marshmallow Roast

• Ice Skating

• Room in the Inn (cooked dinner in Dec. and March)

• Souper Bowl of Caring Offering 

• Spiritual Enrichment Youth Group (5 sessions)

• Created goodie bags for Ronald McDonald’s House residents

• Movie Night with Robinson Presbyterian Youth

• Attended Fame the Musical to support the actors/musicians

• Stuffed and hid eggs for Easter Egg Hunt

• Attended outdoor worship service at Reedy Creek

• Volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank

• Completed 30 Hour Famine

And here are a few of my favorite photos from the past several months:

I cannot begin to count how many hours I have invested in youth group over the months. It is often a sore subject for Jesse and I since it is a very time consuming "job" without any compensation. There have been a few Sundays where only one or two youth showed up for youth group, and other times where I have spent an hour sitting in traffic and detours just to take a teenager home. In those moments, it's easy to feel like I'm wasting my time.  

Our closing hymn was:

I'm gonna live so God can use me 

anywhere, Lord, anytime

I'm gonna live so God can use me 

anywhere, Lord, anytime

Today was a much needed reminder that I am making a difference. I am giving these teenagers opportunities to serve others, enjoy fellowship, and discuss their faith. My time with the youth group may go overlooked or unappreciated, but that doesn't mean it isn't valuable and worthwhile. I live so God can use me, whether it's convienent or not. Today I was able to witness how God is using some very talented teenagers, too!

Latta Plantation

This morning I had an errand to run that was out of the way, so I googled nearby parks. The Historic Latta Plantation was only four minutes away. I used to take my fifth graders on field trips to the cotton plantation during our Civil War unit. I've never thought to take my kids there because it didn't seem age appropriate and it costs money. Still, I knew we could find something to do and have fun.

The admission is only $7 per adult and kids under five are free. After paying the fee, we had 15 minutes to kill before the next guided tour of the plantation home. We walked around the trails and took a quick inventory of the plantation.

The first animals we spotted were turkeys. Maddie stayed far, far away. Jackson walked right up to them but ran away once the turkeys began gobbling and pecking through the fence.

We briefly browsed through the blacksmith and wood working stalls, checked out the wagon,

and tried to figure out what this machine did to cotton.

We joined a group of fifth graders who were on a field trip to tour the house. No strollers are allowed in the home. Two hundred year old furniture, books, dishes, etc are openly on display with "Do Not Touch" signs. I wore Maddie and held James and Amelia's hands. Jackson held James' other hand since James can be especially curious. I was holding my breath the whole time, but the kids were well behaved. (For the record, I wouldn't have attempted the tour if I didn't think the kids could handle it.)

Photography is prohibitied inside the house.

We began to fall apart a bit after the tour. Jackson said he had to poop, but never did go once we hiked to the bathroom. James threw a total tantrum while waiting for Jackson outside the bathroom. He was rolling on the ground screaming. The girls were digging through the lunch bag trying to pull out pretzels. At last, we found a picnic table in a shady spot and settled down to eat our lunch. Ten minutes in, Jackson declared, "I need to poop right now!" We repeated the above scenario, then calmly settled back down again.

After cleaning up and a round of diaper changes, we walked around to see the rest of the farm animals. I assumed a teacher role more than a mother role at this time, and asked lots of questions to make Jackson think about life in the 1800's.

I prompted Jackson with questions to help him compare and contrast the main house with the slave quarters. Jackson was very interested but he didn't quite grasp the difference in living conditions. He'd makes comments about the slave houses such as, "Well, this bed looks comfy." or "This is a nice table where they could eat." Of course, the bed was filled with straw and there was only one table and one bed in the entire house for all the slaves to share. I chose not to elaborate on the mistreatment of slaves.

We spent a considerable amount of time in the kitchen house. Everyone found something of interest there. James pretended to churn butter before he pulled out the handle and began poking his sisters.

I demonstrated how to take food out of the oven with the large paddle.

Occasionally, employees would walk by dressed in period costumes. Any time a Revolutionary solider or woman dressed in a hoop skirt would walk past, Amelia and Maddie would stop, wave, and sweetly say, "bye" over and over. 

Maddie was especially silly, clapping as the loose sheep roamed past, and posing for pictures.

We somehow spent three hours exploring the plantation. While this is not a place we will visit often, it was worth the $7 and it provoked a lot of thoughtful discussion from Jackson. It's exciting for me to feel like a teacher again, even if it's teaching my own children rather than a classroom full of students. It makes me happy to be able to expose the kids' to so many different concepts, whether they understand them now or not.

Splish Splash

Spring rolled right into summer in a blink of an eye. Last night we connected the sprinkler for the first time this year.  Jesse and I stripped the kids down after dinner and let them run through the water. The girls did not exhibit the enthusiasm I expected. 

I assumed James would love it, but he stayed a safe distance away.

At least Jackson loved it!

Fastforward to today. 

Jesse purchased this blow up pool for $10. A friend of mine posted a picture where she placed a slide over a pool. I tried the same thing this afternoon.

The girls refused to get in the water. They took turns shoving one another closer to the pool, then getting upset and turning around.

As soon as James realized the pool was a giant bathrub with a slide, he was in his happy place.

Both of the boys were so goofy together! Jackson has been playing with his siblings a lot more often now, but today was the first glimpse into the future. I could picture Jackson and James sharing a room and really playing together.

The girls finally gave up on the pool and decided to play in the sand. The closest either girl got to the water was sitting on the slide.

Based on the past 24 hours, I'm not sure how much fun the kids will have at the splashpads and spray grounds this summer. Either way, we'll keep splashing in the pool and sprinkler with hopes that the girls will learn to love the water.