Let's get Physical...

I can remember it like it was yesterday, I was about ten years old and my mom had sent me to go visit my oldest brother Jim in Maryland. It was my very FIRST flight & due to some family connections I was able to fly FIRST Class on Eastern Airlines. {Remember that airline?} You see my Dad's cousin Pete worked there & on the day of my flight we stopped in to see him. Somehow he finagled me a FIRST Class ticket. Don't know how but he did. I was excited just to be going on a trip let alone FIRST Class! This was back when they served you fancy food on REAL plates. Don't remember the food but I do remember that they did not seat anyone next to me! I was a talker even back then so no talking for an ENTIRE flight was just plain awful! When my brother arrived at the gate to pick me up I was literally speechless! LOL! My brother Jim is twelve years older than me so he had his own apt and a COOL job working at the Pentagon. I remember his stereo system the most. It was not normal tapes but something that looked like a movie reel. He had ALL kinds of albums for me to listen to but the one album that I really loved was Olivia Newton John. I listened to it OVER & OVER! By the time my trip was over I knew EVERY song by heart including the one I mentioned, "Let's get Physical". Boy am I dating myself!!


Fast forward to the other day when I had to bring Dustyn in for his fifteen year check up. He graduated from the eighth grade & next year it's High School! YIKES! So off to the Doctor we went! From the moment the nurse said "I have a few things I need to check you on for this physical" I just knew there would be a GREAT post in those words! Hehee! I immediately took out my camera & started taking some pictures! [=




Besides getting two vaccines he had his vision tested {FYI it was NOT as good as his Dad's}, his hearing tested & lastly his blood pressure. Let's just say that D was NOT happy to have me taking his picture! LOL! What? I write about the mundane yet funny things we do! And just like almost every other activity we do a song comes to mind when we do it! So the next time you have to take your kid in for a check up just remember me and sing...

Let's get Physical...

Do your boobs hang low?...

You know the song, Do your ears hang low, do they wobble to and fro'... Well it's the same song just with MY lyrics! My boobs definitely wobble to & fro'! LOL! I tend to make up songs depending on what is going on in our lives! It sort of makes whatever we are going through a little bit easier when you put it to music! [= SO since I was having my second mammogram last week I started started singing my song about my boobies! BOOBS, you either love them or hate them & if you have to get mammograms you probably feel the latter. Well am I am here to tell you that does NOT have to be the case any longer! I have had two PAIN FREE mammograms & want to share MY story with everyone. In my rush last year to get in & out of my very FIRST mammogram appt I never thought to check out the machine or ask the nurse about the technology they use there. You see I had heard TONS of horror stories from many women each saying oh how they hated getting their mammograms, how they had their boobs squished & mostly how much it hurt! So needless to say I freaked myself out and went in thinking the worst! All I remembered from that day was how much I had freaked myself out & that there was this "pillow" for my booby, in fact you can read about that adventure here! I never really looked at the machine or read the literature they had posted on the walls.All I remember thinking was that they say this is gonna hurt so I better brave! Next thing I knew my mammogram was over & there was NO pain! I was SO surprised to find out that all of those horror stories I had heard about were untrue! Well at least for me & now after mammogram #2 I believe the facility I went to made ALL the difference! You see the facility I go to uses what they call a Mammo Pad. It is like a temperpedic pillow for your boob to lay on. Now mind you these pads are not cheap & cost upwards of $10.00 per pad. But what I have found out is that some places charge YOU the patient to use this pad & I am proud to say that Wellington Regional does NOT. {FYI, They also have a coupon for a discount on getting your mammogram done there in the month of May!} I did some research & called around to other facilities near me & they do NOT use Mammo Pad's for EVERY mammogram. Why not?! I, as a patient, would choose a facility that was pain free over one that gave me pain! Wouldn't you?If you want more women of risk or women over 40 to take these preventative measures by getting their yearly scans then PLEASE do the math! Get Mammo Pads! I for one would check to see if the place I'm getting my mammogram at has them. You can do that by either calling the facility OR by checking out Mammopad.com. Here's some more interesting facts about these Mammo Pads, each pad is used only ONCE & better yet it's biodegradable!They have a sticky side to them that adheres to the machine so it stays in place. Once they finish taking those precious shot's of your boobies they peel the pad off & send it back to the company for them to recycle it! Cool huh?! So the next time your Doctor tells you that you need to have what you think is the dreaded Mammogram just think of me, make that appoitment & start singing...

Do your boobs hang low?...

Wanna see my Woody?...

Oh what I would give to have a picture or better yet a video of what happened the other night in our living room! You see we were all sitting down before bed to watch their "show", each of them drinking their sippies full of chocolate milk when I hear Brendan say "Lindsey wanna see my Woody?". I just about died! You see we have continually had the discussion about how boys are different than girls.I mean they do take a bath together and see their differences up front & in the flesh! SO I started talking about body parts. My hubby does not necessarily enjoy this topic of discussion however I would much rather teach them about their body parts than to have them check them out on someone else! So ever since we had that first talk they would read off a sort of "list" of who had a penis & who had a "coochie". Again I know "coochie" is not the right terminology but it works for us! [= They will even say boys have penises & girls have coochies. Then they start naming all the people they know who are boys & then who are girls. Usually it's everyone in our families and then they are done. We have NEVER, EVER even mentioned the word "Woody". SO you can almost imagine how shocked I was to hear Brendan say that to his sister! After my shock wore off I deceided I better not jump to conclusions so I looked at both of them to see what was really going on. That's when Brendan proceeds to pull down his pajama pants, point to the picture of Woody on his "Toy Story" Pull Ups & says Lindsey...

Wanna see my Woody?...

some things I just wanted you to know...

Recently we were given some very sad news about a family member that is near & dear to our hearts, our Uncle John. We found out that his cancer was terminal.After a few short weeks in Hospice my Uncle John passed away today. Hopefully his last moments were peaceful. My Aunt Donna & Uncle John were married for over fifty six years so this is going to be such a difficult transition for her. I ask that you continue to keep her in your prayers! May the memories she holds dear bring her comfort during this very sad time! As my children have reminded me this morning not only is he in Heaven but he is also in our hearts! Boy do I LOVE them! They know just what to say and when to say it!

In my almost forty years of life It seems that I have experienced a lot of death. I have lost all of my Grandparents, my Father, Great Aunts, Great Uncles, an Uncle, a cousin & now another Uncle. I have dealt with each death differently. Nothing makes losing a family member any less painful. I just deal with it as best I can and cherish the memories I have. I feel like I was SO very lucky to have my Uncle John live not that far from me most of my life. If ever there was a "favorite" Uncle it was him! I think he knew it too! I LOVED him SO much & feel I need to share some special memories of mine so our children will be able to know him. Here's some of the special moments that stick out to me!

During most of my life Uncle John as been this larger than life kind of guy. When I was little we would go over to their house at least once or twice a month. We would eat, hang out & most of all swim! This was a BIG deal because we did NOT have a pool! You see my ENTIRE family was involved in the swimming pool business yet we did NOT have a pool at our own house. My dad would say that the reason we did not have one was due to how expensive they were to keep up. I enjoyed those Sunday afternoons full of swimming! I remember when we would arrive at their door each one of his sons, my cousins, would get up from whatever they were doing & greet us with a hug & a kiss. I remember that like it was yesterday. Some part of me feels that those manners came from him & it's my hope that our children will follow in those good manners. Oh how I miss those Sundays spent at their house!

A few memories stick out in my mind about him. Remember how I feel that everyone has a "story" well I have a few to share about him! [= I was somewhat close in age to his grandchildren and he treated me just like one of them. I can remember how he would hold up four bills in front of his granddaughters and me; there was a one, a five, a ten & a twenty then he would ask me to pick one. He always asked me first because I was the oldest. Being older also made me know the real value of each bill. I started out picking the one & he would say, "Now Cathy you pick the one you really want!". I picked the one dollar bill a few times until he eventually made me take the twenty! Even then he knew what I wanted! [= He would then tell me to go down to the local grocery store & buy myself something. Even back them it was usually CHOCOLATE! [=

Another thing I will always treasure is his cooking. I LOVED his Greek food! SO SO yummy! Whenever we would visit he would ALWAYS have a pot of something on the stove. He made sure to feed us or send us home with food! His grape leaves were out of this world! Over the years my Aunt took over many of the cooking duties and although they are just as yummy they are not touched by his hands. Sorry Aunt Donna I still love you & your cooking! (= In fact MANY years ago he sat me down & taught me how to cook some of his family recipes! All I can say is that he puts even the BEST Greek restaurant to shame! While he was showing me how to fold the grape leaves he told me this would win over any man I ended up with! You know that old adage, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Well my Uncle John truly believed that!

From what I have been told he was very excited to hear that Michael & I were finally expecting! Then when he heard it was quadruplets he shared news of our pregnancy with everyone. Gotta love Uncle John! [= I also think he had a hand in the prayer dept. For if not for so many people praying for us I do not think the tribe would even be here today! Since having them I tried to make it a point to stop in & see them as I ventured South towards my mom's house. In the beginning they would be in their infant carriers & I'd bring them in one by one to see him. On a few occasions my Aunt was not even there. Oh the aroma of their kitchen... All I can say is YUM! As the tribe got older they would walk in, what a sight seeing all four of them waddling in like little ducklings! Uncle John was SO proud of them. One visit he made me take pictures of him with each one of them. Oh do I remember that day! The babies were NOT cooperating! Cranky is an understatement! A picture is a picture but I really would have liked to catch them smiling in one of them! [= Family is SO important & people tend to forget that!

This morning was EXTRA hard, I had to tell them that Uncle John was in Heaven with Grandpa. You know what they did?! They proceeded to tell me that he was in their hearts! Oh how I love them so! They knew just what to say to me! Here I am trying to let them know who he was & they remembered him! Brendan tells me I played with Kristee, my cousin & Uncle John's granddaughter. Then Linz said I gave him a kiss. I couldn't believe she said that! Some children may get scared of seeing people with wires & oxygen tubes but not her, she had compassion. She saw through all of that! These children of ours have this AWESOME memory! I really do not know where they get it! They can remember things from last year, CRAZY but true! I am just SO happy that I was able to bring them to see him before he passed! These are just...

some things I just wanted you to know...

BOOBIES...

I can remember when I was little I just HAD to have boobs! I mean my Grandmother, almost all of my Aunts & most of all my Mom all had BIG boobs so why didn't I? I can remember when I was about thirteen my Mom said "Cathy if you do not have them by now you will probably not get them!". I cannot tell you how upset I was hearing that coming from my well endowed mother! Say it isn't so! Needless to say I took in those words as a grain of salt & proceeded to do everything I could think of to get BIG boobs!I even repeated that phrase " I must, I must, I must increase my bust!". We all know how well that worked out! LOL! Well low and behold a few years later between sophomore & junior year of high school I blossomed. Yes I got those boobs I had been dreaming of! I think everything I wished for came back twofold! LOL! You know how they say the grass is not always greener on the other side? Well I could now relate to that saying! All that time I wanted to be just like the women in my family and have BIG boobs I never realized the pain having them would be! I think I have spent the rest of my adult life wondering why I wished that upon myself. Having boobs definitely does NOT make you a better person, it does not make people love you more, they just become two things people will eventually stare at. Oh do I have my stories in that dept! Unless you can afford a breast reduction you are stuck with them for life! Do not think for a second I did not already consider that! Anyhow when I finally got pregnant I knew that I would breast feed. If all those years of carrying these suckers gave me grief I would put them to good use & nourish my children! Nourish is an understatement!I got SO much milk I could have fed four more kids! Knowing that I was having quadruplets I think the good Lord made sure I would have more than enough milk to go around! LOL! A small part of me even hoped they would get smaller AFTER breast feeding but sadly that did NOT happen! Now for all you small breasted women I don't mean to complain but when you spend YEARS with neck & shoulder pain you tend to be a little insightful! I mean WHY would anyone want to get a boob job? I know that they, media, put up images of large breasted women everywhere but come on is having small boobs that bad? and please do not say that your self esteem is in your chest! Whenever my girls are around while I am changing we have the "anatomy talk". I want them to know their body parts & what better way than to also have mommy point out hers to them?! LOL! They now know where they came out of mommy, that girls have "coochies" {I know it's not the correct terminology but at least they got my drift!}, that boys have penises {Good thing there was one boy in the mix because the girls sure do notice that he is different than them!} & they know where their boobies are! They always tell me that when they grow up they either want to have BIG little boobies or boobies like Mommy's. I cringe when I hear that because I know all too well about what the pain in having them is! Not only pain in my neck & shoulders but I also have such a hard time finding clothes, bathing suits, dresses & most of all bras to fit me. I do not want them to have those challenges. Now I know that I cannot change genetics and they will get whatever they are meant to get. Knowing that I am raising three girls the one thing I can change is how they feel about their...

BOOBIES...

my wish for EVERY Mother's Day...

Since I can remember I have ALWAYS wanted to be a mother. I would carry around my baby dolls, dress them up, have tea parties with them, etc. IN FACT I still have some of my baby dolls even the doll cradle from when I was little. Gotta love my mom for saving those things that were special to me! SO you can understand when we were having trouble conceiving how I thought I would never get my wish! Back in the day I envisioned motherhood as this ideallic life where the kids would play well together, our home would be clean, dinner was a cinch & life would be grand! Boy was I mistaken! First off I am very happy that the good Lord answered my prayers and allowed me to experience this thing called "motherhood". In fact I was able to celebrate this Mother's Day by attending church with my mom & the tribe at my childhood church. We were lucky enough to get a picture taken of all of us! Don't we look spiffy?! Each & every day with these miracles of ours is a gift but with every gift there comes some sort of cost. Motherhood is NOTHING like I imagined! Now I know nothing is perfect but I never imagined being a mom would be SO difficult! To be that person to four little people at the same exact time is unfathonable! It is SO hard to do! I do what I can & most days I feel like even my best attempts may not be enough. This is just one of the BIG worries on my mind! That and a bunch of other things weigh on my mind!

Will the fact that I had the four of them all at the same time effect them?

Are we making the correct decisions for them developmentally, physically?

Should I have been a SAHM?

Was working part time the best thing for them? for me?

Will they ever get right amount of attention from me?

Should we have started them in preschool sooner?

Can we even afford to send them to preschool?

All of these questions & MANY MANY more continually run through my mind. You can see why I have a hard time sleeping! That & my hubby's snoring does me in! LOL! I just hope that I'm doing a good job! One day when they are older I hope that each of them will tell me that they appreciated all that I did & still do! That every decision I've made has made them into a better person & they are grateful to have me for their mommy! That is...

my wish for EVERY Mother's Day...

the tribes first concert...

It seems like forever ago, OK it was ONLY February, that we had the great fortune to be invited to a private concert by Kenny G. Yes, a PRIVATE concert by Kenny G at a place near & dear to our hearts, The Quantum House! I cannot believe it took me until today to post about our adventure! Maybe I was waiting for the pictures! Yes, that is my excuse, gotta have GREAT pictures! [=When they invited us they said they were only inviting three former families and thought of us! If you do not know about the Quantum House you should check them out! It is a place like none other which happens to be in our neck of the woods. This is the "house" that we stayed at while our tribe was in the NICU after birth. It happens to be on the same campus of St Mary's Medical Center here in West Palm Beach. We LOVE them & cannot say enough about the place, their staff & the other families we have met there!SO to be thought of for a special event is the best feeling ever! SO SO thankful! For those that do not know this, Kenny G also happens to play a little golf. SO besides doing a little performing he also got a little golf in by way of the Honda Classic. In fact he golfed with NFL Great Dan Marino, Superbowl champion Drew Brees & non other than Jack Nicklaus. How's that for a foursome?! For all of you NON golfers out there the Honda Classic is a BIG deal golf tournament down here! In fact they helped sponsor the concert! A BIG thank you to the Honda Classic!We literally found out about this concert four days before the event! After MUCH finagling with our schedules my mom, the tribe & I arrived at the Quantum House to take part in the festivities. I really had no clue how many people would be there! I mean there was a TON of people all over the place! I don't know what I was thinking because it was a concert after all! [= One special lady that I met was the person responsible for organizing this event, Barbara Nicklaus. There would not have been a Kenny G concert if it were not for her! What a remarkable woman she is!For those that do not know who Barbara is, she is the wife of golf legend Jack Nicklaus. But believe you me, her contributions to society stand alone and in my book are much more valuable than those of her husband! Sorry Jack! She is just such an amazing woman! With her husbands assistance they have created the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation. They donate to MANY different organizations, too many to mention. Just trust that the children of Palm Beach County are much better off because of the generosity of the Nicklaus family! So when I use the word AMAZING you will understand why! By the way she even offered to babysit our tribe! Can you believe that?! That in itself is AMAZING!The tribe really enjoyed the music. If they were not listening to the music then they were having fun being able to sit ANYWHERE! Note to self: when you only have one helper with you make sure you bring toys! Luckily Cam took to one of the ladies & wanted to sit with her ALL the time! She on the other hand probably did not feel so lucky! LOL! Towards the end Aave got up and was about to dance! I think if he performed another twenty minutes she would have done a twirl or two! LOL! As it was when he performed "Somewhere over the Rainbow" she started humming it! I did not even realize she knew the tune! Oh the memories I will have to share with them about about...

the tribes first concert...

let them have tea...

What a FUN time was had by many a multiple mama this afternoon! Being a mommy of multiples gives you a different perspective & makes you want to seek out those who happen to be in the same boat as you! There is a bond we share that is unlike any other. What insight we get & the interesting tales you get to share with your sisters from another mother! Heck anyone associated with a set of multiples can relate, it is a different but FUN world!I am part of a wonderful support group geared towards parents of multiples in the county we live in. In fact we just held our very first Mother's Day Tea for our newly formed support group, The Palm Beach County Parents of Multiples. Planning the Mother's Day Tea has always been my thing. It can be stressfull but once the day arrives I get SO excited! This year our Tea was held at the lovely Chesterfield Hotel. What a quaint place to hold the Tea at! It sort of reminded me of the hotel from Zack & Cody's The Suite Life. For those who have NO idea what I'm talking about, it's a show on the Disney Channel centered around these twin boys who live in a hotel with their single mom. Very cute show & if you have a child under the age of 15 you have probably seen it once, twice or maybe a MILLION times!I just cannot get over how much this hotel reminded me of that show! VERY quaint & VERY British! We gathered in what they call their "Leopard Room" for an afternoon tea. What a name! The decor was amazing! When I say amazing I mean AMAZING! There is many things to see in that room! LOL! We joked that maybe they should rename it the Cougar room! LOL! Many laughs occured over taking in some of their interesting decor. If you ever get to Palm Beach you should stop in at The Chesterfield for a cup of tea, they will not leave you disappointed!I do not think there is any other way I'd like to celebrate Mother's Day than at a tea with some levely ladies! Such a beautiful place, yummy food & wonderful company! Once we settled in, had some yummy munchies & chatted for what seemed like forever we...

let them have tea...