Flashback

Clearing out pictures off the phone tonight and came across this one from a few months ago.......ahh enjoying a slushie in Hawaii.  With the colder weather coming it sure makes me miss it!  Looking through pictures, some that are even just a few months old, you realize just how much older the kids look in such a short time!

Getting ready for the holiday season

Eeeek the holiday season is quickly approaching and even quicker it seems for parents who are expecting another set of twins around then hahaha!  Baby prep has started slowly but I have almost all of our Christmas shopping done. That's right, crazy I know, everything that is left can be bought from amazon if I have the babies early or end up in the hospital for any reason.  We will start our Christmas decorating in another two weeks or so and then we can officially start sitting back and enjoying the Christmas season.  This year we will be making a few things for each other for Christmas (all things that if we don't get them done it can wait until another holiday hahaha).  So last night Mathew and I sat down and started working on his gifts for his brothers and soon to be sisters.  This year he decided to make everyone a personalized towel.  A few weeks ago he and I decided exactly what material to get.  Joshua and I made the trip to Joanne's on 'sale' day and I scored exactly what he wanted.  Then he decided on the colours of towels that would best match the fabric.  We prewashed all the towels and material and ironed it about a week ago.  It was so cute to see him writing his lists of what we need to get for who and then working so hard on the products.  Yes I did help a lot but it is great to get to do a project with them while they learn things along the way.  He worked hard on measurements and learning how to add measurements together.  He also learned about a few simple sewing machine stitches and was in heaven controlling the "gas pedal".  Good work little guy, I am sure your siblings with love it!

On a side note Mommy may love it even more. With the new twins arriving that will make 5 little ones in the house. Laundry for 5 will be crazy especially when the oldest are 7.  They can help somewhat but most of the laundry is still left up to mommy.  Clothes we have a system but towels are out of control!  With all the baths, showers and just hand towels they add up.  Towels get left on the floor, in the wrong bathrooms, no one can remember which ones they used etc...  So now each of the kids will have their own customized towel so I am hoping they can reuse (within reason) and cut down on all the abandoned towels around the house.  One of my first steps to try and expedite my laundry pile; let's hope it works :)

 

A string of Ghosts

I have to admit it, I might be addicted to things on pinterest.  In my defense, I am a mommy who loves to do fun activities and crafts with the kids so pinterest just makes it super easy sometimes.  Back in August I was browsing some fall activities to do with the kids and came across milk jug jack o' lanterns.  You need tonnes of gallon milk jugs to do this activity. With three kids we go through a gallon of milk at least every two days so we started saving in September and had many extras we didn't use! 

Jason and the boys drew the faces on all the jugs with permanent marker while I kept josh away from the table as there were permanent markers out hahahaha.  It took them about an hour to draw and color in all the faces but they had a great time doing it.

The original directions called for tealights or glow sticks to go inside.  I couldn't fathom me being home alone with tealights in all those lanterns and the wind picking up and blowing them and me then chasing half melted milk jugs so we tried glow sticks but it didn't give the look we were going for.  We were going to go with battery powered tealights but decided a white strand of Christmas lights would give the exact look we wanted.  Jason cut wholes in both sides of the milk jugs and him and Zachary threaded the strand of Christmas lights though. 

In the daylight it looked ok.....but once it started to get dark it was perfect!

I love when something so little turns out to be so much fun to make and actually works!