Last Two Week’s Accomplishments – Memorial Day Miss

This category got skipped last week with Memorial Day.  But, as its been super busy with sports and other end of school year activities – plus finally some beautiful weather – the list still isn’t super long.

  • Got the boys to 4 baseball games, 2 baseball games, and 2 soccer practices (light weeks with Memorial Day)
  • Got the oldest to soccer evaluations for fall travel soccer
  • Took the youngest two to see the trucks at DPW Day
  • Shopped for two birthday parties; attended one
  • Added 5 pairs of pants and 9 socks to my fabric recycling bag
  • Hosted a big BBQ for the holiday weekend
  • Finished up the winter recreation activities
  • Got a pedicure (yeah me!)

May Grocery Review

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Here’s how the spending went for May.  I decided to pull Wegman’s into the top section as it was often dominating the “Other” section.  Nothing seems particularly out of whack.  BJs might be a bit higher than it has been and groceries a bit lower, but nothing worrisome.  And, the total is in line; that’s what matters.

  • May TOTAL: $980.62
    • Stop & Shop: $161.39
    • BJs: $363.98
    • Wegman’s: $209.23
    • Other: $246.02
      • Local: $77.38
      • Star Market: $107.12
      • Trader Joe’s: $11.15
      • Target: $50.37
      • Other: $0

Not much in the way of grocery shopping to report for last week.  I made one trip to Wegman’s.  Yes, the premade sandwich is in my food total.

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This week I anticipate more shopping as I plan to go to BJs, Stop & Shop, and Wegman’s.

My CSA Plan

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Since local produce is finally coming out of the frozen tundra, the CSAs will start up in a few weeks.  But, I’ve elected not to join one this year.  We have in the past, but I find we don’t receive enough of the foods we want to eat, and we always end up with too much of what we don’t.  So, my plan this year is to make my own weekly CSA baskets.

Around here that is easier than it might seem.  First, we have a number of local farms and farmer’s markets to choose from.  I’m not limiting myself to doing the basket in one day or one location, so I can piece it together over the week.  Second, one of the farm stands publishes what’s in their weekly basket online.

So, my rules are that I have to purchase a basket – by volume.  And, it has to include at least half of the items on the weekly online list.  I can purchase these items at any of the local stands/markets.  I am not counting produce marked as local that I purchase at a grocery store, although I’m not going to turn that down either.

As for cost, I thought about forcing myself to spend the CSA amount per week, but I decided that didn’t make sense.  Their baskets are leveled over the summer and mine can be also.  I will total up what I spend and compare it to the CSA costs at the end.

Summer is Trying

After a very cold winter and fairly cold spring, we’ve had a few summer-like days recently.  (The pattern is due to break this weekend.)  Today was almost 90 and downright muggy.  Thank goodness for AC.

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The garden has been doing well.  We have lots of flowers on our strawberry plants.  The peas are growing nicely.  The broccoli and celery may have recovered from being taken down to nubs by some animal overnight.

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As you can see we also have lots of lettuce, plenty of chives, and some basil.  There’s also a pepper plant which is hard to see (first picture), but is doing well enough.  I’m just hoping the broccoli comes through before it gets too warm.  The lettuce can be picked whenever needed, and we’ve already taken some for salads as its grown.

When there’s a bit more space I’ll be putting in corn, beans, and sunflowers.  These will replace the broccoli & peas.  As of now I haven’t planned for the fall; we’ll see how things go.

What to Buy for Twins after a Singleton

It’s very different having twins after a singleton, vs having twins first.  You have a toddler to deal with, which necessitates different activities.  More relevant to this discussion, though, is that you already have some things and you’ve developed preferences for what you actually use.

Here goes on the double question (after a singleton). Some of this will depend on your preferences.

I need 2 of: car seat, crib, pack n play, high chair, bouncy seat.  Most of these are safety issues so they can’t really be debated.  I think most people would like a second bouncy seat, vs other locations for infants, but there is some personal preference here.

Need more of, but not double: bibs, crib sheets (I went from 4 total to 6 total), bottles (personally I like to only have to wash once per day, but that’s up to you)

Nice to have with twins that I didn’t have with one: swing (one is enough as your child might not like it anyway but they’re great when there’s one adult and they’re both crying), two bumbos.  Not everybody likes the bumbos, but I found them invaluable for storytime with three.  I could set them up in front of me like you see at library storytime vs trying to cram them all on my lap.  That never worked very well.

Things you likely have that you don’t need more of: activity mat, exersaucer/jumper, changing pad covers (assuming you have more than 2 already), carrier so you can carry one and put the other in the stroller/shopping cart/etc (unless both adults are willing to carry).

You’ll also need a double stroller, or triple if your kids are too close together.  I’d vote for the double if at all possible.  If necessary you can put one twin and the older one in the stroller and carry the twin.  The older one will learn to walk soon enough and triple strollers are even more expensive and bulky than doubles.

Grocery Update

I admit, I did a huge amount of grocery shopping last week.  On Tuesday I went to Target, BJs, and Wegman’s!  Target and BJs are very close to each other so I always try to go to them together.  After dropping those items at home I had a bit of time so I squeezed in the Wegman’s trip before the preschool pickup, rather than waiting until Wednesday.

At Target, my list was nuts and raisins; the Gatorade turned out to be on sale and red is a favorite color so I picked some up.  The nuts and raisins will last us a long time; I don’t go to Target that often.  As you might assume, I was there for other things too – socks, mouthwash, etc – that didn’t make the “food” picture (or total).

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The BJs trip was the most extensive I’ve had in a long time.  It was my regular week to go, hence the large quantity of milk, some juice, soda, cheese, bread, and ground turkey.  This is the third time I’ve looked for chicken thighs; I was beginning to think boneless/skinless had been discontinued for the summer.  They’re not in my immediate meal plans, but they’re such a staple of our menus that I grabbed a pack while I was able to find it.  The hot dogs and chicken nuggets (still baseball/soccer season) are for next weekend and mid-week respectively.  Pretty much all the rest was for our three day BBQ fest over the weekend.

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Wegman’s was a much smaller set of items – better prices than at Stop & Shop plus I used $6 in Wegman’s coupons.

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I went to Stop & Shop on Wednesday with a decent number of coupons.  The desserts should last us quite a while.

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And, if things were looking produce deprived, I was at the local produce place on Friday.  I think everything is fairly easy to identify except the containers which are chicken salad, cole slaw, and pasta salad.  With the exception of the green beans, all is gone by now.

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This Weekend Has been Gorgeous!

After moving almost directly from winter to summer, things have settled out and the weather has largely been in the 70s.  (Actually, its been cold enough sometimes that we still debate putting the heat on at night.)  So far we’ve had six days above 80; three more are forecast through the end of June.  While long term weather forecasting is not super reliable, this is enough for me to postpone my summer oven hiatus until after July 4.  Of course, I will be mindful and if it starts getting near 90 this will go into place.

This weekend we’ve enjoyed three days of BBQ – hamburgers on the grill; ribs and pulled pork from the smoker.  Don’t they look yummy!

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Last week the younger boys and I visited the DPW for Public Works week, which was very fun.  (Unfortunately I couldn’t stand far enough away from the vehicles to get a great picture as they might have escaped.)  Here’s one in the backhoe – balloon and plastic hard hat courtesy of the DPW.  I never did figure out what the hose contraption was, though I don’t think its related.

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Total Control Ball

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With many kids we have a lot of sports equipment.  These are a new addition for us and came at the recommendation of a teammate’s parent.

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They’ve been everything advertised.  One can pitch to the kids from a few feet away; they take a full swing with a real bat; and they feel the result, see the result, all while everyone stays safe.  Tonight we also put them on a tee to work on hitting through the ball for power.  Our yard is small enough that our oldest can easily hit a wiffle ball out. No issues here.

As you can see we got a few.  They seem to come in batches of 6 or 12.  We’re glad we got the dozen as one can hit them all and then quickly go pick them up since there’s really no chasing.  You can also see that they’re a bit larger than a baseball.  I’m not exactly sure why that is, but it doesn’t affect either throwing or hitting.

We’ve been very happy.

My Practical Advice on Preparing for Twins

My oldest turned two right when our twins were born. My super practical recommendation is to think about where you go by yourself and how you will navigate those places with three kids. Fundamentally, there will be places that go off your list until the twins can walk.

It is key to determine who does, and does not have automatic doors. You’ll be amazed at all the doors that are a complete pain in the ass with a double stroller that weren’t so bad with a single. You basically have to wait for someone rather than wiggle yourself and the stroller through a manual door.

Second, think about places that your oldest likes that you can manage with two buckets and no stroller. Yes, you get even more stares than with a double stroller! But, I found it doable to carry one bucket in each hand pretty much until they outgrew them; you’re actually better balanced than with one. So, places like McDonald’s where you can park right near a door and then just plunk everyone down at a table make for good outings. The grocery store is also manageable if you can put your oldest in the plastic car, one bucket on top, and the second baby in a bucket in the basket or a carrier. My oldest liked being in charge of the canned goods and other stuff he could stash in the car without worry.

Finally, get to know the drivethroughs. I’m not talking about fast food here, but banks and other errands that don’t require getting the kids out of the car. It helps to have a stash of these types of errands in the car for when they all fall asleep. I kept a crossword or such for myself also in case I ended up just parked someplace.

The oldest may or may not be helpful with the twins.  The twins will learn to walk at some point.  At some later point they will learn to walk together; this is your big goal and will really enable you to go places you’ve left off your list for years.

We Have a Robin’s Next

The boys found a robins next in their climbing tree.  Unfortunately it is maybe 8 feet off the ground and in their tree.  So, they’ve had to stay out for most of the spring.  I let them in this week while the adult birds were away to take a picture of the eggs.

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I haven’t seen the adults there much.  Between that and the height, I’m not sure what’s going to become of these.