What Do Christmas Cards and Dirty Laundry Have in Common?

This is the best, and probably only, child rearing advice I will ever give.

Save yourself some money and don't buy too many fancy toys for your toddler.  We have two activities in our arsenal that save the day when restlessness sets in.

1). Christmas Cards

I hate to throw them away and the chances that I will do some cute Pinterest type craft with them are 0%.  I put them in a basket and let the girls have at them.  They love to look and point at all they see on the cards.  It's also a great way to start telling them who people are and now they have started picking family members out on their own.  

 

2) Dirty Laundry

When the going gets tough this is one of my final moves.  They play in their own dirty laundry a lot, but I save our stuff for special (read: unbearable) occasions.

You're welcome.

Serenity Now

I found a tactic that helps me keep my sanity when the girls get the best of me.   I go back and watch cute video clips to remind me they are cute and hilarious, rather than the little mad women they pose as at times.  I created a montage of recent clips in case you need a sanity check as well.

Gulf Coast Birth Control

The comment is sometimes made to us that watching us is "good birth control" for the teenagers that might be around.  Pretty sure that any teenagers around us on our most recent beach trip will not engage in activities that could lead to pregnancy for years to come.

We had a wonderful beach trip, but it certainly is wild with three toddlers (actually 4, with Frances).  Despite the fact that the girls have now been to the beach 4 times, they still HATE sand.  Clearly they did not get that from me.   In order to accommodate for the sand issue, we used a variety of tools - shoes, baby pools, blankets, etc.  There were a number of total freak-outs and meltdowns.  By the end of the week they actually were doing much better....as long as they had on shoes (notice those bright blue shoes are in ALL pics).

Group pictures now take the form of everyone just going in the same direction.

Irene "hustling" 

Brooks observing her surroundings

Anna....being Anna

Family shot?

Little ducks

Best investment ever.  The wagon.

The chairs were position one when we arrived on the beach each day.

Brooks doing her best to annoy Irene.

Pigtails

Snacktime.  The best time of the morning.

They love cousin Kat

Looks about normal.

Rare moment of Irene interacting with sand.

Irene

Brooks

Anna.  She was great as long as her hands didn't touch.

Yep.  

I love this one. 

Jack with the girls

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