Thing 3 has been taking a Tae Kwon Do class for the last month, a few times a week. To our surprise he really enjoys it and is a fantastic listener. Hopefully some of that will translate back home.
Here he is performing his moves for the belt test to become a yellow belt. Watch as he breaks 2 boards for the first time.
And here is the ceremony
Remember the movie Multiplicity? Starring Michael Keaton, it’s about a guy who clones himself so he can manage all the demands on his time. Go watch it this weekend.
People sometimes ask what it is like having 4 kids. I addressed it before in this post. But that was based on having very young kids. Now, there is another dynamic emerging:
How to be in two, sometimes three, places at the same time.
This week kicks off the spring sports season. Which means we are juggling practices, games, birthday parties, and other activities on a daily basis.
Yesterday we had baseball practice, Tae Kwon Do belt testing, after school and pickup at daycare. Saturday there are 2 baseball practices, belt ceremony, flag football, and a birthday party. And those are just the ones we said yes to.
As crazy as our daily schedules have become, it’s actually not as hard as when they were babies and all demanding our time at the same time with a lot of crying.
Now it’s more about logistics and how to organize and get everyone where they need to be, and still manage to get the important things done. Like having enough food to eat (4 kids eat a LOT). And having clean clothes for everyone to wear (taking a pair of pants from the bottom of the hamper now and then won’t kill you, I promise).
The biggest problem now is being in multiple places at the same time. I need a couple of clones. At least until Thing 1 and 2 are old enough to drive themselves and their siblings.
Thing 4 celebrated her 3rd birthday today! She’s been talking about her party for weeks, and loves the idea of being the center of attention.
These days everyone has loads of pictures of their kids. ?Pictures from the beach, pictures in the snow, birthday pictures, pictures of little league games, pictures of the first day of school, and everything else that happens every day. ?Our kids’ lives are documented in a Facebook timeline. ?So, how does a parent capture a moment in a way that is timeless and?original? ?By printing a canvas from a photo.
I was invited to try a?Printcopia?canvas print. ?Upload an image from Facebook, Instagram, or a file and turn it into a canvas up to 3 feet in size. ? The quality is great and there is something about a canvas print that says piece of art, in a way that framed photos don’t.
Here’s a description from their website
At Printcopia, you can turn your photos into eye-catching wall art with a variety of printing materials and options to choose from including gallery-quality canvas, sleek acrylic, and glorious panoramic printing. ?If you’re decorating a room or a whole house, Printcopia can take your photos and turn them into wall-worthy pieces of art. Our easy-to-use print tools make it fun to upload your photos and turn them into stunning prints. Our canvas and acrylic prints offer unique ways to turn your photos into mini-masterpieces.
We chose to use one from this year’s holiday photo shoot. ?Here is Thing 3 showing it off as an 11 x 14 canvas from Printcopia. ?We haven’t decided where to hang it yet. ?If you are looking for a memorable keepsake or gift for the grandparents, give a canvas prints a try.
After 9 years and 4 kids, I have learned many essential skills. But there are three which really stand out where I consider myself to be an expert.
1. Changing diapers. Did you read my last post? 30,000 diapers. Enough said.
2. Installing car seats. We used to take the seats to the fire station to have them installed by trained professionals. After watching them do it many to times, car seat installation is something I have mastered myself.
3. Using a plunger. Yes, it isn’t pretty but with 4 kids it has become a necessary skill.
I had very low expectations for potty training Thing 4 given our history. But girls are supposed to be easier so there was hope.
Last weekend, we decided to do a potty bootcamp. Thing 4 helped gather all her diapers into a garbage bag and we threw them all away. At least that’s what she believed. I put them in a safe place just in case.
She picked out some favorite underwear and the training began. We got off to a shaky start. She was holding it as long as she could out of fear of the potty, and we ended up with a puddle on the floor.
But we persevered. And after that one incident, Thing 4 had a flawless record for the rest of the weekend! No accidents. Telling us when she needed to go. Pee and poop. Simply amazing. Completely potty trained in one day!
We celebrated with some frozen yogurt.
I started thinking about how long and how many diapers we have used. We have had at least one kid in diapers for over 9 years. By my estimates, we have gone through at least 30,000 diapers. And now we are through it.
With a family of six, I would expect there to be a lot of laundry. But there seems to be some other factor at work which is increasing the amount of dirty laundry in our house.
Let’s see. Six people. Seven days in a week. Reasonably, you might assume one load per week per person would be plenty. Probably not even that much because we make sure to have enough clothes and underwear for everyone to easily go two weeks.
We do way more than 6 loads of laundry a week. In fact, there is always at least one load in progress at all times.
We already have the largest capacity washer and dryer available. So that can’t be the problem.
I believe I have discovered a force in nature that I’ll call the laundry multiplier principle. The amount of laundry goes up exponentially for each pair of people.
Going from one person to two doubles the amount of laundry.
Going from two to four people quadruples.
And going from four to six people results in a mountain of laundry that can never be finished.
It only just started the last week or so. At first, I thought it was a fluke. A one or two time aberration. But now it’s happened at least three times. Three is a trend, right? It’s been so long, nine years, that I had to remember how to do it.
This week, I’ve had to set an alarm to wake up on time. Shocking, I know.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like we’re all sleeping in until 10am or even 7am. The alarm is set for 6 o’clock. But for the first time in a very long time, everyone in the house can sleep past 6am. At the same time.
By 6:30 or 7:00, we’re still a cyclone of activity. But I’m getting used to this new sleep until 6 am reality. And hoping it lasts.