Got Quads?

When I work my part-time retail job, I notice more and more shoppers heading straight for the clearance racks. Can you blame them? I’m always scouring the racks for great bargains for my daughters. I refuse to pay full price, and most times I won’t even look at a rack if it’s marked less than 50% off. A note to the kind folks at Target: 15% is not clearance, it’s a sale. You may be trying to “clear” the merchandise out of your store, but I’m not fooled by the clearance signs. However, after Easter my mother-in-law found some great bargains on baskets for next year… 75% off, so I’m not completely knocking Target’s clearance racks. 

I began my clearance shopping for buying a year ahead. When stores marked down their winter clothes I tried to guess what size my daughters would be wearing next year. So far I’ve generally been on the mark. Then I started noticing as the economy changed stores seemed to be marking things down earlier than normal. For instance, this week at Kohl’s the clearance racks already have spring/summer clothes marked down at least 60%. 

Some of the deals I’ve found in the last few months: a convection toaster oven originally $80 marked down to $20, shirts for my daughters for $3, shirts for me for $2, work shirts for Hubby for $10.

Times are tight for many families. I’m not suggesting anyone has time to spend all afternoon searching the clearance racks, but when you do go into a store, take a minute to check them out. You never know what bargains you’ll find. 

MaryAnne at Thrifty Craft Mama tagged me for 10 Things You Were Dying To Know. Here are my answers to these all-important questions 1) What is your current obsession?American Idol. How cheesey is that? Every season I swear I’m done and every season I’m sucked back in.

2) Which item of clothing do you wear most often? Jeans

3) What’s for dinner? Hmmm. It’s Tuesday so that’s usually Hamburger Helper night. Tuesday afternoon one of my daughters has an appointment so it’s nice to have a simple fall-back for dinner.

4) What are you listening to? Four little girls giggling 

5) Say something about the one who tagged you: MaryAnne and I “met” when we both became members of a reader advisory panel for a parenting magazine. She has two little ones with a third on the way. She has some great, kid-friendly crafts on her website and is clearly more creative than I will ever be.

6) Favorite vacation spot? Maui, hands down.

7) What are you reading right now? Etta by Gerald Kolpan; It’s a fictional look at the life of Etta Place, who dodged the law with the Wild Bunch. I started the book last week and I’m about 3 pages in.

8 ) Four words to describe yourself? Wife, Mother, Determined, Loyal

9) Guilty pleasure? White chocolate

10) First Spring thing to do? I keep staring at the dust on the blinds so I guess I should say clean!

Rather than tag anyone, I’ll just open this up to anyone who wants to participate. Also, this week both Shannonf at Busy Working Mom and CheekySuze gave me the “Let’s Be Friends” award. Thanks ladies!

Sometimes when you’re a blogger it can be easy to become caught up in the act of blogging, rather than the art of blogging. By that I mean it’s easy to be obsessed with the number of people who are visiting your site and the number of sites you visit, rather than take the time to write quality posts and thoughtful comments. Fortunately, for the most part, I’ve been able to have fun with my site and take time to enjoy the sites I visit. I’ve formed a small community of “cyber friends” who consistently visit to give advice, pep talks or just say “oh, that happened to me, too.”

Two of those cyber friends like me enough to bestow on me the “Let’s Be Friends” award.” Thank you Maxie, who writes Women Over Fifty and Old West Mom, who is the brains behind Forever Family and Symphony Rocks . The criteria for the award:

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to those bloggers who must may choose at least 5 more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award

So, in the spirit of friendship, I am now handing out my “Let’s Be Friends” awards. These bloggers are consistent visitors and offer great perspectives. I hope you’ll take a moment to check out their blogs.

• Jayewalking at Delayed Toddler I stumbled upon her blog when I first started this site and I’ve really enjoyed reading her thoughts, frustrations and triumphs as she pushes to receive a diagnosis and treatment for her daughter
• Kristi at Mom-Mom’s Harmony This stay-at-home mom of two boys can make you either laugh out loud or feel her pain
•  Sherri at My Life in the Fishbowl How she manages to keep up with three sites and still take time to visit others is beyond me
• Dubster at SAHMRandomThoughts Her posts range from sweet stories about her family, to fall on the floor laughing anecdotes, such as “Drunk on Good Friday”
• Stephanie at Ask Me Anything Not only does she open her site to any random questions (and she does a great job of answering them) she also took the time to respond to a personal email from me, which I truly appreciated

Thanks ladies for your support. Now I need to go visit some of my favorite blogs.

It has been raining nonstop since I left work yesterday. Oh, wait, I’m lying. There has been some snow and even hail mixed in with the rain, too. My entire family is grumpy. I never realized how much the weather can affect us. It’s cold, it’s dreary, and no one is in a good mood. The nice thing about the gray skies is that all the girls slept in this morning. I’m guessing they’ll sleep in tomorrow, too… good for Hubby… not so good for Quadmama who has to be to work at 7 a.m. Oh well. It has been a crazy day here, but I wanted you all to know that yes I am still here. I hope to back in full force, raring to go by tomorrow!

In the comment section of yesterday’s post , Maryanne brought up a good point about the “interesting” outfits children tend to put together when they dress themselves. I like to think my daughters are preparing for a career in the fashion industry. They’re just ahead of the times.

It used to be easy getting my daughters dressed. They would pick either their Dora shirt, Elmo shirt or a dress. It didn’t matter what dress as long as it was a dress. Now things are little more complex.

We now have two different Elmo shirts and for some reason one of them just doesn’t stack up to the other. I don’t see why not. The shirt they don’t like even has Abby Cadabby on it!

Tortilla does not want to leave the house unless she has on her sparkly red dress shoes. It doesn’t matter what else she’s wearing, in her mind those shoes complete the outfit. It’s not easy convincing a 3-year-old those shoes are not appropriate for preschool.

Sue-Sue would be content if she could wear pajamas every day. Most mornings she asks to stay in her pj’s. She can’t understand why I make her get dressed if we’re leaving the house.

Cakes wants shorts and t-shirts year-round. I don’t think she’s hot. I think she just gets bored of her winter clothes. 

Roo is fairly easy-going. Unfortunately there’s one pink shirt with flowers which she has claimed. Look out if you’re the person unlucky enough to try to wear it.

During the winter I would make them wear pants with their dresses. Clearly we didn’t get out of the house much. Now they only want to wear pants with their dresses. It took every ounce of energy I had to convince my daughters they could not wear jeans underneath their pretty red velvet dresses on Christmas Eve. I caved on Christmas day and let them not only pick the dresses they wore (sundresses, so I made them wear long sleeved shirts underneath) I also let them wear pants. Let’s just say we have some “interesting” photos from that day.

It’s not that I really mind what they’re wearing. I’m all for letting them experiment. Eventually they’ll figure out polka dots and stripes aren’t typically a good pair. I just don’t want them looking at pictures years from now blaming me for their outfits.

I figure I’m in good company. Most parents go through this phase at some point. I know one day I’ll be out running errands with my daughters when we’ll pass another little girl in a “creative” outfit. I’ll just give her mother a knowing smile as we pass by in our dresses and pants.

Sometimes I think people are under the impression that when I had my quadruplet daughters I lost my hearing. That’s the only reasonable explanation I can come up with for some of the comments I hear when I’m out and about with my girls. Often times these things aren’t even said to me but simply spoken as though I’m not there.

The most common comments I hear:

• “Wow, you have your hands full.”  

Actually there’s nothing obnoxious or offense about that comment, but I hear it all the time. It just gets a tad repetitive. I know I’m busy.

• “Was it natural?”

Hey, I don’t ask how you conceived your children, let’s back off on the personal questions with me! I try to be polite when this comes up because sometimes it can lead to a poignant discussion with someone struggling with infertility, but for the most part I really dread this question.

• “Do you watch Jon & Kate Plus Eight?”

I understand it’s a popular show, but I’m not a big fan. (Refer to this post to find out why). The show needs a little less Reality and a little more reality.

• “You must receive a lot of free stuff/assistance.”

Ummm, no. Yes, there are some companies that will send you coupons for free diapers or discounts if you ask. However, there is no such thing as government assistance for families who have multiples. We are subject to the same rules and income guidelines that all applicants face. No one stands at the hospital door handing us keys to a new car or house when our children are discharged.

• “Will you have more children?”

This is a question everyone wants answered. I don’t know. Is four enough? It seems to be for me, but who knows what our future holds.

• “Can I take your picture?”

I appreciate that you would ask, rather than start snapping away. When my family goes to the zoo, the park, the pool, we are there to have fun. We are not celebrities by any means. My daughters may be cute and perhaps you’ve never seen quadruplets before, but no, you may not take our picture.

It’s not just families of higher order multiples who hear these questions and comments. I know lots of moms of twins who are faced with these same questions on a regular basis. I’m not bitter. Heck, I’m not even lecturing. I would just hope that eventually the questions will stop and I can fully enjoy a day out with the family.

If you’ve taken the time to read my “about” page or if you know me then you know for 10 years I was a TV news journalist. I’ve got to tell you, the perks of that job were nice. In other words: I got free haircuts for 10 years.

Now that I’m home with my foursome and paying for my own haircuts, yeah, I need a mommy makeover. I really miss those free ‘dos. As a news anchor I could go in every four weeks for a color touch up and a cut or a complete highlight. It was luxury. Throw in a manicure here and there and it was heavenly.

Clothes? In my last job I had a clothing allowance so I could buy x amount of “on-air” clothes. Now I’m lucky to browse the clearance racks when I shop.

I know, I know. I sound like I spent 10 years being a spoiled diva. Nope. But my lifestyle and expenses now make me really appreciate those days. 

My haircuts now are provided by Sam…as in Fantastic. I’ve actually been pretty lucky because the assistant manager cuts my hair and does my highlights and she’s really good. I just miss the pampering you get at an “upscale” salon. Plus I’m lucky to get in every 8 weeks, rather than every 4 weeks. The nice thing about my current stylist is that she’s an identical twin so she gets a kick out of cutting hair for quadruplets.

When my daughters were first born I could care less what I left the house in. I mean for work I still put on my “anchor” suits. But if I had to run to the grocery store I was pretty likely to show up in pajama pants. I could really care less who saw me. Now that has come to bite me in the a*& because other than the “business casual” clothes I need for my part-time retail job, I really don’t have a lot to wear. I see the cutest clothes at work but what’s the point in buying them if I don’t get out much? If my daughters don’t have school or an appointment you’ll find me in a t-shirt and pajama pants. We’re not leaving the house and who cares what I’m wearing when the Jehovah’s Witnesses knock on my door?

Most of the time when I shop I focus on my daughters. I really need to occasionally pamper myself and buy a few things that I can wear somewhere other than the drop-off lane at preschool!

In these tough economic times many of us will be turning to consignment stores, yard sales, and hand-me downs to clothe our children. Hey, I’ve been doing this since my daughters were born and you can find some great bargains out there. You can also find some things that make you scratch your head and wonder if the giver truly thought about what they were doing.

A few weeks ago my daughters’ preschool teacher told me another mom had six bags of girls clothing she wanted to donate to her church, but then thought of me and wondered if I would want them. Sure. I’m not above hand-me downs and neither are my daughters (at least not yet since they don’t understand the concept of name brands). I finally had a chance to go through the bags and a lot of it made me sad. Out the six bags I filled an entire bag with stuff that simply needed to be tossed. I’m talking non-removable stains, dirt and holes. Small stains I can handle. A quick wash, a little stain remover or bleach and there’s a good chance that tiny stain will be gone. It’s one thing to get rid of your old clothes, it’s another thing to think the recipients will take any ‘ol thing.

Don’t get me wrong. I am very grateful that the person in question thought of my family when going through all these clothes. I still ended up with three bags of clothes for my daughters (two more bags I’m going to donate because there were some things I just didn’t need… and no, I didn’t put the aforementioned stained clothes in there). I just wonder what goes through people’s minds when they’re getting ready to donate items to charity.

I remember when the country rallied to help those affected by Hurriane Katrina. People nationwide were making generous donations of food, money and clothing. Yet I also remember reading that some of the donations were simply ridiculous: evening gowns (because when you lose your home to a hurricane the first thing you need is an evening gown) and used underwear (come on!).

Now is the time to look at your “stuff” and see if you have anything to give. But give wisely and kindly. Are you donating your old clothes because they no longer fit or are out of style? Or are you donating them because they are ruined but you can’t stand the thought of throwing them out? I know I sound harsh… I don’t mean to be. I just ask that when you give, no matter how good the intention, ask yourself if what you’re giving is something that you would want to receive.

With four toddlers and four cats the vacuum is used in my house on a daily basis. At the end of the day there’s either tufts of cat hair from Elwood (our long hair) or plenty of crumbs leftover from snack time. When our last vacuum needed a new belt after just a year, Hubby and I knew it was time to upgrade. Through a payment plan we were able to get a Dyson. Whoo hoo!!!

During the last year that Dyson (the DC 14 if you must know) has been wonderful! It truly lives up to its hype, although I’m not a big fan of the attachments that come with it. They’re kind of useless. But the vacuum itself does a great job.

So imagine my concern when, just last week, the Dyson didn’t seem to be, well, sucking as well as it used to. We use the furniture attachment from our previous vacuum so I asked Hubby to take the attachment apart and clean it out. That wasn’t the remedy. I cut away as much of the hair stuck on the brushes as I could… still, nothing. Then Hubby took apart various removable pieces of the Dyson and we both looked in wonder at the objects hindering our vacuum’s suction.

Among the clumps of hair and dust we found an Aquadoodle pen and a cat toy. An Aquadoodle pen? Are you kidding me? Now I know I didn’t vacuum up that pen and Hubby swears he didn’t do it either. Regardless, I have a hard time believing that whoever vacuumed up that pen didn’t hear a lot of noise in the process. Even if you sucked it up with the hose I would imagine that you would suddenly notice the Dyson just isn’t working as well as it was minutes ago. An Aquadoodle pen? Seriously!

Now the Dyson is back in tip-top shape, and I guess that’s all I should be concerned about, right? Besides, I’m sure there are worse things that have been found in vacuums… I just don’t want them showing up in mine!

Wondering where I’ve been? For some of you, it just appears that I skipped a day of posting. But for others, you fellow Entrecarders out there, well, I’m sure I’ve annoyed you by not returning the favor and dropping on your sites the last two days. I apologize and ask you to not hold it against me. I appreciate your faithful readership and I enjoy reading your posts, too. Life, however, has been busy.

Hubby has his last two furlough days this week, which means I’m working two more days than I normally do. Yeah, not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but a tad overwhelming none the less. Today is basically my only day off, so I used last night after work to just sit on the couch and hang out with my family, rather than work on building traffic to my blog. 

We all need those kinds of moments don’t we? I feel a little more relaxed as I get ready to head into a busy week. The girls could use some extra days with Hubby since he’s been working a lot of overtime lately. Last week he put the girls to bed Sunday night and literally did not see them again until he got home from work Wednesday. It’s hard to explain to a bunch of three-year-olds why daddy isn’t there to give hugs and kisses at bedtime. But the overtime is nice. In the long run they’ll remember their nightly shoulder rides and not the few nights daddy wasn’t around to give them. (How else would you bribe four three-year-olds to go to bed? In our house if you go upstairs and sit on your bed, then daddy gives you a quick shoulder ride through the hallway. What will we do when they’re too heavy for daddy’s shoulders?)

Sunday Suppers will return next week. I just wanted to take a moment to thank those of you who are faithful readers and let you know I’m not slacking. I just needed a day to regroup. Enjoy your weekend!