Patriotic Presidents Program

Last Thursday, the kiddos had a Patriotic Presidents Program at school---in honor of President’s Day.

Andrew~ enthusiastically marching into the sea of family and friends…

 

 

Yah…umm… this would be Ben, right as my camera was going off- stopping to give me a hug in the aisle. Heh. Sweet boy.

 

 

The little red, white and blue diva~ proudly displaying her name on her hat

 

 

Ethan~ super stoked to have a flag to wave around the entire performance…

 

 

Trying to locate the Steece quads, is like playing a live game of Where’s Waldo sometimes…well, MOST times!

 

 

A picture (albeit, blurry) of all 4 in one shot!

 

 

Ethan and Savannah

 

 

Drew and Ben… I can’t tell if they are singing or goofing around. It’s a toss up, folks…

 

 

Drew was so happy to see his Mom and Auntie Liz in the crowd!

 

 

Walking out~ Ethan leading the way…

 

 

Followed by my Lil Princess…

 

 

…and Benny…poor lil dude. He cannot get rid of these “coughs” as he calls them.

 

 

And Drewster… the crazy ‘ole Rooster…

 

These little mini-programs always crack me up. Sometimes I find myself literally laughing out loud at the absurdity/cuteness of it all: Billions of parents, aggressively “saving seats”, lined up 30 minutes in advance, for a 15 minute program…wildly snapping photos as if it were a red carpet event.

Hilarity.

But I’m right there with ‘em and wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

 

Don’t forget to check out my Mucinex review, for your chance to win a $100 CVS gift card!

How to Blast the "Sick Day Blues"

QUADRUPLETS...

Life can be extremely challenging with multiples (especially 4!), but there are some obvious added benefits. One of them being that they learn how to share EVERYTHING at an early age. And by "share everything", I mean~ pass around every single germ known to mankind. Awww, isn't that sweet?!

NO.

No, it's not.

We try our very best to prevent colds and flu from entering our house (See my previous post: Tips for Staying Healthy During Cold/Flu Season), but sometimes kids are going to get sick no matter what.

Here is how sickness usually attacks the Steece Family:

 

One child begins coughing/sneezing (usually Ben)...

 

 

...then brother #2 gets sick, followed by sister, and finished off with brother #3 feeling puny as well. It is actually easier when they all get sick at one time--- as opposed to drawing it out over 2-3 weeks. (That is THE. WORST.)

 

 

Welcome to the Steece Family Sick Ward, y'all!

It is a completely different story when only ONE child is sick and stays home from school to spend the day with Mama. I try to make it as special as possible~ because one-on-one time is a rarity (especially with multiples) and the kids soak it up, as you can imagine. Precious, precious time spent with one child. I know many of you can relate.


Just  this week, we have been hit hard with the flu (yes, despite all having the flu shot...Grrrrrr) and bilateral ear infections. FUN TIMES!


Here are some ways that I have tried to make our "sick days" special:


1. You get to pick out a treat, any treat you want...

 

Ben picked out his very own mini-sized Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream and that smile reappeared in no time (despite those poor, feverish eyes)!

 

 

 

Andrew was NOT a fan of his painful, antibiotic injection (can you blame him?!), but he instantly turned that frown upside down when offered a tasty treat of his choice...no matter how sugary. Those are the rules... (You had better believe I was cringing inside! Ha)

 

 

And sometimes, the whole crew gets to choose a treat! Like after Andrew's 3rd antibiotic injection! (It has been a LONG week, folks!)

2. A cozy night of snuggling with Mom in the guest room...

When a child is sick (vomiting, wheezing, etc.), I like to keep a close eye on him/her. Our kiddos have slept in their own beds from day one, so they view this "sleepover" as an extremely special treat! It just might involve falling asleep to a DVD or two. It also makes it easier for Mom to roll over and administer a breathing treatment in the middle of the night.

 3. Play time on ipods

 

I'm very strict with the amount of time my kids spend on electronic devices. I only let them use their ipods when we are in waiting rooms or doctors offices, etc. On sick days, anything goes!

 

4. Movies, movies, movies

 

Our family LOOOVES movies! We've been taking the kids to theaters since they were 2 years old. When one of my babies is sick, I usually stop and let him/her pick out a DVD rental.

(Sick little Savi, on our way home after dropping off the boys at school)

 

 

The sick child will get to pick out whichever DVD he wants to watch---without the input of 3 other pesky siblings. That would put a smile on any quadruplet's face!

The sick day blues seem to magically fade away with these various activities, oh- and lets not forget the importance of modern medicine! We like to use Mucinex Cold & Cough to relieve our Cold & Flu symptoms. Within hours, those smiles start reappearing.

Children's Mucinex is the #1 children's brand for relieving congestion* and provides fast acting relief from your child's worst cold symptoms. Try Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold if your child needs relief from stuffy nose and chest congestion. Always use Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold as directed. (*Based on IRI unit share data for the 52 weeks ending November 2012)

Share the love, peeps! Click on this link for a $2 off coupon.

Stay tuned for my 3rd post about Favorite Sick Day Meals. Share yours with me and I'll do the same!

What is your favorite meal when under the weather?
(Answer this question in the comments section below for your chance to win a $100 CVS gift card!)

No duplicate comments.
You may receive 1 total entry by leaving a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 2/6/2013 – 3/31/2013.

Be sure to visit the Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Exe’s and Oh’s! 2013

Happy Valentine’s Day from Ben, Sav, Drew & Ethan!!!!

 

This Mama had absolutely ZERO time for festive Pinterest projects this year (especially when each child had 18+ Valentines to make & sign!)

 

But I’ll tell you this~ I had a blast at the store, letting the kids pick out whatever they wanted to give to their buddies at school. They were SO excited!

 

Here is what we ended up with:

 

Ben~ Boxes of conversation hearts

 

 

Ethan~ Cars Valentines with Cars tattoos

 

 

Drew~ Lifesaver suckers

 

 

Savannah~ Hello Kitty Valentines with heart suckers

 

 

Kiss on those loved ones today!

XOXO

Tips for Staying Healthy During Cold/Flu Season

I am excited to be a part of the three part series program for Children’s Mucinex: "Chase Away Those Sick Blues with your Children". (see below for your chance to win a $100 CVS gift card!)

We have survived five and half exhausting-amazing-challenging-rewarding years with quadruplet kiddos and certainly understand a thing or two about passing around colds & flu.

Here are some tips of what WE do to stay healthy in the Steece household:

Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands. (My kids hear me say this about a billion times a day!) Most cold and flu viruses are spread through direct contact. Gently wash your hands with soap for 15-20 seconds~ (teach kids to sing the “Happy Birthday Song” while washing). If you don’t have immediate access to a sink, use hand sanitizer as much as humanly possible (especially at work, the store, the gym, etc).


Sleep. Your body needs sleep to repair & rebuild cells (strengthening your immune system). When you are tired, your body doesn’t fight as hard against illness.

Exercise. Working out regularly strengthens your immune system to fight against germs. (Nothing crazy excessive, just 30 minutes, 3-4 times a week… like a nice, friendly bike ride)

Eat healthy & Stay hydrated. Eat plenty of fresh fruits & veggies; drink plenty of fluids (help support that immune system, y’all!)

Avoid sick peeps. Don’t worry, no one is going to get upset if you politely refrain from hanging out with sick, coughing/sneezing friends, family, people at work, etc. PLEASE stay home from work if you are sick, friends! PLEASE do NOT take sick kids to school to infect other people!

Disinfect. Clean items that can easily pick up germs: toys, phones, computers, sinks, purses, door handles, etc.

Cough and sneeze the CORRECT way. When you cough or sneeze, do it into the crook of your elbow, not into your hands! I must say, we have taught our kids well with this one.

The cold & flu season has been absolutely NUTS this year, right?!! And like all of you, we have been taking every precaution to try to stay healthy. There are plenty of times that even our best efforts won't prevent an illness from spreading through our household.


We have been using Mucinex to relieve all of our adult cold/flu symptoms since our family doctor recommended it years ago. I was SO excited when our children were finally old enough to take various Mucinex products as well. I hated watching them suffer through colds without being able to give them quality medication for their symptoms.

Our favorite product so far has been the Mucinex Congestion and Cough (for children ages 4-12).

Friends, I never accept a review product that I don’t believe in 100%. So believe me when I tell you that we keep Mucinex in our medicine cabinet at all times!

I’d like to share the love with you, so click on this link for a $2 off coupon.

When your child has a bad cold, you both can feel miserable. Children's Mucinex is the #1 children's brand for relieving congestion* and provides fast acting relief from your child's worst cold symptoms. Try Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold if your child needs relief from stuffy nose and chest congestion. Always use Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold as directed. (*Based on IRI unit share data for the 52 weeks ending November 2012)

Stay tuned for my next Mucinex post on how I keep these crazy quaddie kiddos smiling and entertained, even when they have the sick day blues… What activity makes your child smile when under the weather? (Answer this question in the comments section below for your chance to win a $100 CVS gift card!)

No duplicate comments.
You may receive 1 total entry by leaving a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 2/6/2013 – 3/31/2013.

Be sure to visit the Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!