Monday, October 29, 2012

Malloween!!

Another fun event we do every year around this time is Malloween. Malloween is a fun family and children's event at the local mall. The children all dress up, parade through the mall and trick or treat for candy at all of the stores. There is a bounce house for the children's fun as well, and some other little activities like coloring and trick or treating for little toys and trinkets like pencils, stickers, etc. The kids got a little bit of candy, plenty for them since they ended up eating most of it before we left the mall, and finished the rest on the car ride home! ;)

Another fun part of Malloween is the costume contests! They do contests for each different age group, the first one was for babies up to age 3, so all 3 of our kids participated in that one, and Connor and Merasia WON first place in their age group for the contest!! We were SO excited! They received a $25 gift card to Walmart to share, so they are very excited to go pick out a cool new toy with that soon. :)

I know it sounds silly to some, but seeing them win that contest was one of the proudest moments I have experience as a mother this far. I know there are many, many more to come, but this was their first real win at anything, and it was so cool and special for all of us!

Unfortunately, the event was so busy I have no photos to share, but there wasn't much to snap photos of, anyway. :)

Pumpkin Art Night!

Last week, hubs and I took the kids to Pumpkin Art Night. Pumpkin art Night is an event that is held in our town every year, where families can come to decorate or carve their pumpkin, do other activities and socialize with friends and other people in the community. We have never gone before, because we either didn't have children or they were too young to really do much. We weren't going to go this year, but decided to at the last minute. We went with our friend and neighbor Ashley, and her 13 month old son, Logan, and met some other friends of ours there too, Jenn and Terry with their two kids so the kids had a good time playing and seeing each other.

It was recommended for us to bring our own pumpkins because they have a limited supply there. The first thing we did was get a picture taken of the kids. Kids could choose to dress up or not, and our wanted to, of course! It made for the CUTEST picture of them!!




After the pictures we decided to have the kids make a trick or treat bag. They had so much fun putting stickers on their bags and daddy helped Mason decorate his pumpkin with stickers instead of a bag. 



Logan had fun decorating his bag too, and did SO good putting stickers on all by himself!


After our bags were done, we moved to the trick or treat table, where the kids could "trick or treat" for different toys and trinkets. There was a lot to choose from and the kids loved it! They got lots of fun goodies!


Everyone was hungry for a little snack after all that fun, so we got some fruit, cupcakes, pretzels, and homemade breads to munch on, along with some apple cider, and it was nice to sit down, relax, visit, and have a snack. :)

After the snack, Mason decided he wanted to check our the book corner and "read" a few stories to us. ;)



We didn't end up doing any pumpkin carving, but that was fine with us. None of the children were carving the pumpkins themselves, of course, that is an adult's job, but many of them had lots of fun helping to pick out the pumpkin guts! ;) Our pumpkins were a little too small to carve, and by the time we were done doing everything we had already done, we all were tired and ready to head out. It was a good night though, and everyone had fun so it was beyond worth it! :)







Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Prefense Alcohol Free Hand Sanitizer Review & Giveaway


Hand sanitizer is a must have in our house! With little ones in preschool and daycare, there is always a stomach bug, runny nose, cough, or some other sickness going around, and to try and cut down on all of those germs, we use lots and lots of hand sanitizer. 

I was asked to review a container of the new prefense water based alcohol free hand sanitizer. It's so difficult to find good, all natural, alcohol free hand sanitizers on the market today so I was very excited for this product! Little kids are curious, and often lick their hands after applying the hand sanitizer and as we know, that and alcohol based hand sanitizers do NOT go well together!

From their website:

"Finally, a unique, alcohol-free hand sanitizer that provides you and your family proactive security from germs that can make you sick. Prefense proactively and persistently offers protection from bacteria and fungi including strep and many more for up to 24+ hours or 10 hand washings without reapplication."

I really, really like this hand sanitizer! It's small so it fits easily in my purse or the diaper bag, which is always good to have for those inconvenient bathroom trips in the middle of a store, the mall, or restaurant, and is easier than going through the water and soap hand washing process since the kids love to take their time and drag that process out. With this, I can whip it out, squirt some on the kids' hands, they rub them together, and voila! All done, clean, and germ free!

When you first squirt some of this sanitizer on your hands, it comes out in a light foam. That quickly dissolves though, as you rub it in. It doesn't leave a gross greasy film on your hands like some hand sanitizers do, and it has a nice, light citrus scent to it, which is good too, so it's not so bland or plain. 

I was very happy with this product and would recommend it to my friends and family. It's definitely one of the best hand sanitizers on the market today!

Purchase it: You can purchase this product, along with many others, at the New Wave Bio/Prefense website.

WIN IT: TWO lucky readers of Mama 2 Multiples are going to WIN a 1.5 oz. bottle of Prefense Alcohol Free Hand Sanitizer! To enter, simply follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below!

Connor, Merasia, and Mason Update!

I'm slacking here, I know! Just hang in there...I am waiting for that second trimester energy to come! Only 5 more weeks...ugh!

Connor and Merasia have been in preschool for a little over a month. They love it so much! They ask to see their teacher every weekend and are so excited to go every Monday and Tuesday. They have so many friends there and talk about them all the time, and love to play the games at home that they learn at school, or sing the good bye song that they sing when each student leaves with their parents at the end of each school day. It's so cute!

With each day that goes by they get more and more independent. They do just about everything for themselves, and it's nice, but sad at the same time. It's nice that it allows me to focus more on Mason who needs me for some stuff still, and I can have some time to sit and breathe instead of constantly being on the go. They feed themselves, dress themselves, get their shoes on, get their coats on, get their backpacks, pick up toys, make their beds, help vacuum, get a snack themselves...even wash themselves in the bath now! I know all of this will be even nicer when the baby comes along, as I can focus on the baby's needs yet Connor and Merasia will still get their needs met since they can do it all on their own. 

They are getting so excited for snow, Santa Clause, and Halloween! They are practicing saying "trick or treat" and tried on their costumes the other day!


We woke up to a frost on the ground one morning recently, and they got SO exciting about snow! 

We recently went and got some pumpkins, which they enjoyed picking out, too.

We don't normally carve pumpkins because it just makes them rot faster and I'm not up for that mess right now. So the kids all chose small pumpkins that we can paint or just sit outside to show off. :)





The way they chose their pumpkins is funny. Connor's happens to be a little bigger than the other two, which fits well since he is the oldest. Merasia's is a little smaller than Connor's but bigger than Mason's, which also goes well since she is technically the middle child right now, and Mason's pumpkin is the smallest! They didn't do this on purpose and we didn't make them do it, it's just how it happened but so cute!

After we chose pumpkins, we decided to take a gondola ride at the mountain where hubs works. It was rainy, but we had nothing better to do and Mason had never been on a gondola ride (well, unless you count when he was in my belly!). It had been over a year or more since the twins had gone on one, too. 






The kids had a BLAST but I think Mason had the most fun of all! He didn't want to sit down and loved running all over the inside of the gondola and looking out the window at everything. When we got to the top of the mountain, they LOVED walking and playing in the snow!







We don't have snow down here yet, but the top of the mountain sure does! This was Mason's first REAL time in the snow since he was so small last year and didn't really notice or get what it was all about. He fell down a few times but had fun anyway. I can't wait to see how he is when it really starts snowing and we get out and play in it often this year!

Mason's words are taking off like wildfire! I can't keep track anymore, but he says everything we say to him and is SO good at telling everyone what he wants and when he wants it. I know it's very very common for younger siblings to talk sooner, have more words, and be able to tell you what they want better and sooner because they have their older siblings to look up to and learn from and they hear them talking and saying certain words, or see them doing certain things so they pick up on that and do the same, and do all of these things quicker and that has definitely been the case for Mason. He has done everything so much faster then the twins did, because he has them to learn from and listen to. 

Other than that, there isn't much to update on. Merasia is very excited for the baby, and asks me at least once a day (usually more though) if the baby in my belly is growing and tells me it's a girl. I know they are going to be a great help when the baby arrives, and even little Mason I am sure will be smitten with him/her too! It is sad to think that my little Mason won't be my baby anymore though. :(

Lots more reviews and giveaways to post, just trying to get through this exhaustion and nausea first and once that is done with, everything will be nice and caught up here! Just keep hanging in there with me! ;)



Friday, October 19, 2012

Dr. Woods Baby Mild Castile Soap Review & Giveaway



As a mother, I want my children to be as healthy as possible, and that goes for not only foods they eat and things they do, but things that go in or on their sensitive little bodies. Connor was always my most sensitive baby, and that is still the case sometimes. His skin breaks out easily, and Mason's butt breaks out easily as well. I have never had any issues with any commercial brand soaps or body washes I have bought and used for them in the past, but I was interested in trying out Dr. Woods Baby Mild Castile Soap when I was asked to do a review and giveaway on my blog.

From their website:


"Unscented Baby Mild Soap
We take special care to ensure our 100% Natural Baby Mild Castile Soap is gentle enough for our children and anyone
with sensitive skin.
This 100% Natural formulation has no fragrance, and its lower pH balance ensures a kinder clean. Dr. Woods Baby
Mild Castile Soap, blended with organic essential oils, organic sea butter and Vitamin E, is our most soothing
body and mind.
  • Mild enough for baby’s delicate skin but great for sensitive skin of all ages
  • Hypoallergenic
  • Pure Castile and Organic Shea Butter formulas
  • Sizes – 8 oz., 16 oz and 32 oz."
For my review, I received one bar of unscented baby mild soap. I have to admit, I put the bar of soap in the bathroom cabinet when I first got it, and kept forgetting to take it out to try it until just recently! I know, I know, shame on me! ;)

I did use it on the children the other night in their bath. I really, really like that it's hypoallergenic and mild for my children's sensitive skin and sensitive areas. I prefer liquid soap as it's easier to use and lather, but this bar of soap lathered enough to get the job done and still make it easy enough. 

Along with being hypoallergenic, these soaps contain no animal ingredients, no artificial colors, is pH balanced, biodegradable, not tested on animals, and paraben and phthalate free, all traits I look for when looking at natural products!

I am not a fan of soaps that don't have scents, but I also realize if I want natural, hypoallergenic products, scents only introduce further irritating chemicals so that of course defeats the purpose of all natural products, but a natural scent would be nice for products like this, if possible.

The soap cleaned the kids well and kept their skin healthy and safe, which I am happy about.

I would definitely be interested in trying out some other products by Dr. Wood, such as the lavender castile soap and the coconut milk raw shea butter soap. 

Purchase it: You can find more information, including how to contact the company and purchase products, at Dr. Wood's website.

WIN IT: ONE lucky reader of Mama 2 Multiples is going to WIN a bar of the baby mild castile soap! To enter, simply follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below!


Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Pregnancy Update! (And Other Stuff...!)

Exhaustion and slight pregnancy nausea have made it difficult to update as often, but I do have an ultrasound photo to share!


The bigger circle on the bottom is our little jelly bean and the smaller circle on top is the yolk sac. Definitely one baby, and we saw a nice strong heartbeat on the screen! The heart beat clocked in at 132 beats per minute  and baby is measuring at 7 weeks, 3 days, instead of the 6 weeks, 4 days we thought I was today. Some of you already know that we have had quite the stress over here with this pregnancy these last few weeks. We have had 2 earlier ultrasounds show nothing or what may have seemed like nothing, and some blood work that the doctor deemed questionable but turns out, after our own research, to be completely normal. We were waiting for an ultrasound like this and a good, strong heartbeat to confirm viability and stop worrying and stressing, so now we can bask in this pregnancy and fully enjoy it from here on out!

Other than that, we are all doing well...more updates coming soon, and lots more reviews and giveaways to come as soon as I get over this pregnancy exhaustion and semi nausea stuff! ;)

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Sometimes, You Just Have to Let Go

The title pretty much says it all. 

There are many days since becoming a mother that I miss my clean, spotless, organized home. I miss the days of not having to do much housework or cleaning, and my house stayed clean for days, or even a week or more! Even when Connor and Merasia were babies, the house stayed very clean and organized, because they never got into anything or made messes. It got a little more challenging when they were a year old and into toddler-hood  but even then, for having two tornado toddlers, the house was always clean and organized. These days, not so much. I feel like all I ever do it clean, but at least the 3 days a week that all 3 kids go to daycare, the house is as clean and organized as it used to be before kiddos. Though I wouldn't trade it for the world, I still miss those days. It's normal!

However, over the years and the more recent months, I have relaxed a bit and realized that sometimes, you just have to let go. You have to let go of the urge to constantly clean. You can't follow your children around every second and clean up behind them. It's unrealistic and you need to let children GROW and be messy and MAKE messes, regardless of if you need to clean it up or how long it takes to pick up toys or vacuum or any other number of things to do to clean. 

Lately, we have had lots of picnic nights. A few weeks ago, we ordered in Chinese on a Sunday evening, and had a dinner picnic on the living room floor. 





Yes, there was rice everywhere. And pieces of chicken or veggies. But it was okay. They had fun, we had fun, and it all cleaned up easily and quickly with a little vacuum afterwards. It made for a cute memory, and was nice to just let it go and not worry about the mess.

Earlier this week, we did this dinner picnic twice. Once we got Subway take out, and had a picnic on the living room floor again, and another night that we had take out we did it as well. I love making memories like these, for me, but mostly for the children. I want them to have special memories from their childhood of doing cool, fun things like this, and not just of mommy cleaning all the time or stressing out or being too strict because I am all worried about messes or the clean up afterwards. 

So, my new mindset is sometimes, you just have to let go. Let go of the urge to follow behind and clean up every little thing your children do. Let go of the urge to ruin your neat house for one day or night, and let the kids make a mess that you don't clean up right away. Because at the end of the day, the food crumbs on the floor and the toys can all be picked up, put away, thrown away, and cleaned, but these days when your children are small and these opportunities to make memories like this will be gone before you know it, and you can't get them back.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

My Wedding Favors Giveaway Winner!


  • Name: Kaitllin Boles
  • Option: Vote for Me
  • Extra Info: 
  • Time: Mon Oct 01 2012 00:00:00 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Congratulations Kaitlin! Kaitlin has 48 hours to reply to my email and claim her prize or I will be forced to choose a different winner. Thanks to everyone for entering the giveaway and following my blog!

Every Little Detail Giveaway WINNER!


  • Name: charissa
  • Option: Tweet About the Giveaway
  • Extra Info: https://twitter.com/CAMomOfTwo/status/254096850859200512
  • Time: Fri Oct 05 2012 00:00:00 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Congratulations Charissa!! Charissa has 48 hours to reply to my email and claim her prize or I will be forced to choose a different winner. Thanks to everyone for entering and following my blog! :)

Monday, October 1, 2012

I'm Still Here!

Life has been insane on our end, but I'm still here! I guess I am well overdue for an update, huh?

For starters, a tiny diarrhea bug has hit our household within the last couple of weeks. It started with hubs a couple weeks ago, and then Connor last week. We are still working on potty training with him, and he is doing well, the poop part is just back and forth at times. He had diarrhea during one of his poop on the potty moments last week and I made a mental note to put a diaper on him for nap time, just in case. And of course pregnancy brain struck again and I forgot, until an hour into nap time when he was fast asleep. So, hubs got home around 4 and woke Connor up from his nap, and of course, he was COVERED in poop. Wet, gooey, brown, stinky, watery, diarrhea. EVERYWHERE. All the way from his butt to his feet. His pants were sticking to his body, they were so caked with poop. We threw out his underwear and socks, but the pants were brand new so I was not about to throw those away! We cleaned him up as much as possible with baby wipes and paper towels, and then plopped him in the bathtub to wash him up real good and got him in a diaper just in case it happened again, and didn't bother putting clean pants on him, in case it happened again. He did go a few more times right after that, but he told us he had to go and ran to do it on the potty, so that helped with much less clean up and no more messes. We got his sheets off his bed and clean ones on, and by 4:30 that afternoon, he was fine. It never happened again and when he pooped again the next day, it was more solid. The diarrhea bug soon hit me, and just hit Merasia, but it's pretty much done with her now, thankfully.

So, there's that. We have all been battling a head cold/sinus infection, too. And I'm still dealing with pregnancy exhaustion. Not a good combination, but we are getting through it!

The kiddos are good, of course. Thriving and having fun and bringing us more and more joy every second of every day!

Connor is having a little bit of an adjustment issue with mommy being pregnant with another baby, but we are working closely with him on it and he will be fine, I am sure. It's a huge adjustment for us, but even more so for the children! 

Anywho, I'm still alive, and lots more updates coming soon, as well as more reviews and giveaways! ;)