Believe it or not....

I am finally getting back to answering some of the questions you guys asked me back on my "Questions for the Quad Mom" post in May '08. I've been in a bit of a "blogging funk" lately and decided that it was time to share some things that are close to my heart.

How do you manage to keep it in perspective all the time? Do you ever get completely overwhelmed and if so, what do you do? When you fall into bed at night, do you ever want to cry if it has been a nutty day? Where do you get your energy? How do you look so together in pictures?

ATTITUDE. I believe it is all about my attitude. (And before I start my novel...I would just like you to know that I have NOT been like this my whole life--I have changed tremendously in the last 2 years) I have the power to CHOSE to be positive or negative--we all do. I chose the positive route. It is almost as easy as that! We keep things in perspective b/c we know life doesn't begin and end with the Steece Quads---our hearts are constantly out there with those who need prayers or who are struggling. We have four healthy babies, what can we complain about?

Of COURSE I get overwhelmed! Especially during the pregnancy and immediately following! I remember how it was VERY difficult to stay positive when I had not yet reached my 24th week of pregnancy--knowing that my four babies would have zero viability outside of the womb...that was rough. I cried for a full week one time--I could NOT shake those bad thoughts! But, then, I gave it all over to God and just forced negative thoughts out of my head. It is SOOOO very important to surround yourself with POSITIVE people!--and that's what I try to do on a daily basis.

Those first 4 months of the quads' lives was the hardest thing we have ever been through. (Just bringing ONE baby home is SO ridiculously difficult). Every once in a while we would have someone to help with the night feeds---other than that, it was me, Joe, and my mom. Church volunteers began taking day shifts when my mom left (around week 6 (?) of the quads being home). We were EXHAUSTED---mentally, physically, emotionally...POOPED! We fed the babies every 3 hours around the clock--by the time you get finished feeding all four, you have about 30-40 minutes before it starts all over again...and the spit up/reflux?...OMG....the reflux! COMPLETELY DRAINING. I was barely eating, sleeping, showering, brushing teeth, etc.

To keep things in perspective: Joe and I would cherish those few MINUTES when the babies were silent. I remember turning to each other occasionally and saying, "Do you hear that?.....ah.......nothing.....peace and quiet"--and it would last for MINUTES, but it was a beautiful sound. Joe and I would live for those quiet moments in bed, just cuddling before the next feed. We made time for each other and found joy in the tiniest of moments. It is all about attitude and making the choice to find those moments each day---because the day is FULL of them.


I must admit, the days of complete and utter exhaustion and being overwhelmed are few and far between nowadays...I guess you learn how to roll with it the longer you do something--and the positive attitude helps a lot. Someone once gave me some good advice: I try to start every day as a prayer--it begins in the morning, and I talk to God throughout the day, and ends at night-right as I'm falling asleep--each day is one long prayer.

Joe is another HUGE part of my sanity. Every day after a long day at work, he comes home, changes clothes and immediately goes upstairs to "relieve me of my duties": playtime, night bottles, diaper changes x 4, and bedtime. I go work out at the gym for an hour (my recent boost of energy lately), run errands, or make dinner. Needless to say, Joe is an amazing husband and father- love him SO much!
Family, friends, and church are major support systems in our lives. During quarantine, the Diaper Darlings are going to make weekly visits to play with the kiddies so I can run errands and what not. I also lean heavily on my other quad mama sistas! They have been such a blessing in my life and we can vent/laugh/cry/encourage/keep accountable/be silly with each other every day when we find brief seconds on the computer!


"Looking together in pictures" is all about attitude--for example, immediately after having quads, I was definitely NOT in the best shape of my life...but it felt good to take care of myself. I would put on a cute outfit and throw on a little powder to go see our babies in the NICU. I truly believe that what you are feeling on the inside is totally a reflection of how you look on the outside.


(And NO, to answer another question- I do NOT "look cute" and wear make-up and do my hair every day! OMG! On any given day, you will find me make-up-less with a T-shirt on, scrub pants, and my hair pulled back in a clip! In fact, when I first read this question back in May, I laughed outloud and immediately made Joe take of picture of what I looked like at that very moment!)

So gorgeous! Ha! This is my work attire--I am a FULL TIME MOM!--Ready to jump in and get those hands dirty! ;)


How do you balance making time for day-to-day fun and combat stress? How much time for yourself do you have? Do you ever just grab a cup of coffee with a girlfriend? Do you ever get "me" time by yourself? What is your favorite thing to do with it?

See above--Joe and I are a team. I let HIM go play with his boys, and he lets ME go play with my girls. I've just recently started working out and feel GREAT! I never used to get that "good-exhausted-every-muscle-hurts" type feeling when I used to work out--but I think it was all about the attitude thing. Now, I LOVE it! It is a chance for me to get out of the house and focus on being healthy. I want to be the best mom I can be and that starts with taking care of myself and my body...I plan on sticking around for a long time, haha! ;)

Yes, I occasionally get out with friends--in fact, I have a hot date tonight with my buddy, Liz (on the left)! We have the BEST friends who travel (usually from Dallas 30~45 minutes) to come see us and who come over for Saturday barbecues, etc. They know it is difficult for us to get out with 4 little ones...so many times, they just come to us! Great friends...



As far as "me" time...I've always preferred being around people--I'm very much a people person. However, it is funny how motherhood makes you view that "alone" time in a whole different light! It is the little things: like driving around in the burb, by myself, listening to music while running errands! The "Old Suz" (pre-quads) used to go out to eat with Joe/family/friends & go to movies all the time. Those are two of my most favorite things to do!



How do you get everything done like housework, yard work, cooking, etc? What does the rest of your house look like? Is it perfectly tidy? How do you avoid getting frustrated/defeated when you get behind on the "to-do's"?

Don't sweat the small stuff! When the kids are awake, I am playing with them. It is a great piece of advice that has been given to me time and time again. The dishes can wait, the cleaning can wait. Babies/children grow up so fast--really cherish every moment you have with them. So, that is what I try to do...every day. When the babies go down for their naps, that is when I do dishes, prepare food, tidy up, do laundry, etc. Also, it is not an every day thing---some days, I just lay around the house and do absolutely nothing---but the following day, I will have a "mad-cleaning-frenzy" of a day and will do 5 loads of laundry, scrub all the bathrooms, organize closets and pantries, etc! It is insane! What doesn't get done today, will get done tomorrow---so I'm not worried about it. I always make the bed...I dunno, its one of those things that "you know, the house may be a wreck...but if that bed is made, it makes it all better! ha!"...just a little quirk, I guess.

Once again, I have an amazing husband who has somewhat of a "cleaning obsession"--to put it mildly (my friends and family are laughing right about now). He actually enjoys cleaning---so, Joe is the MAIN reason our house is always tidy!



How do you deal with the crazy things people ask you in public? How do you stay positive and not let rudeness bug you. What are some tips on staying positive?

Hmm...I just always try to be gracious. I know that the majority of the time people don't INTEND to say things that might be taken as a rude comment. For example:

~ mumbling under their breath: "Better you than me!"
~ looking at the quads, shaking their heads and saying: "I feel sorry for you"
~ or just blatant laughing at me, while standing in a check-out line, paying for 100 tubs of baby food to last me a couple of days (pointing, snickering)
~ looking at the quads, laughing and saying: "NO THANKS!"

...stuff like that happens all the time. I just smile and say, "Yes, we are blessed!" A favorite motto to live by is: "You have been blessed, now go be a blessing"...and that's what I try to do.

We get rude blog comments all the time (attacking me, Joe, my family, my children) but I always skim over the comments before reading them word-by-word and delete them immediately when I can tell that they are negative. I don't even read the them! DELETE COMMENT- and move on. ;) I don't understand the people who take the time to read my blog, just so they can attack us (and my friends, for that matter).

We both just make a choice every day to be positive. Joe goes running in the mornings and uses that time to spend quiet-time with God, reflect on his blessings, and focus on positive things he wants for his life...what a great way to start the day! We have a certain joy that cannot be extinguished--God has blessed us beyond our dreams.