Thursday Threes: Triplets in the 1930's

  Its a strange thought....What would it be like have triplets in the 1930's.  For one thing there were no disposable diapers, all the modern day comforts were not yet invented; there would be no Mickey Mouse to entertain the kids while lunch was being made, no triplet strollers to cart them around in, no electronic swings to soothe a cranky baby.  In the 1930's a triplet birth was 1 in 9,042 births.  That is 0.011% of all pregnancies.  Nowadays, the percentage of triplet pregnancies is around 1.5%.  Still a small number, but I feel like I'm a celebrity already, I can't imagine what all the attention in thirties would have been like.
  Another thing that comes to my mind, is that there would have been no warning.  I knew I was having triplets four weeks into the pregnancy.  Can you imagine finding out that you had three babies instead of one on their birth day?
  Drawn by this sudden, nostalgic interest I found out about an English artist, Barbara Hepworth, who did indeed become the mother of girl, boy, girl triplets in 1934.  What an amazing women!  Not only did she overcome the difficulties of raising triplets in the 1930's,but she also raised an elder son and she became a famous sculpturalist influencing today's modern art.

Barbara Hepworth

The Hepworth Triplets; Simon, Rachel, and Sarah

Wordless Wednesday: Ping Pong Paddle

Teaching Triplets Tuesday: Circles

 Last week we continued our unit on shapes with circles:

Prayer, Calendar Time, and Weather

Songs and Videos:

Journey to Ernie: Shapes (Unit video)

Bert and Ernie: Its a Circle

Grover: Circles

Activities:

1) Our first activity was flash cards.  I drew a circle on a piece of paper.  I taught the kids the word (always in English and Russian).  Later I allowed the kids to color on their circles.  I then paired the circle flash card with the triangle flash card from last week and had the kids pick out the circle and the triangle

2) For this activity, we used a cut-out shape toy like THIS.  For this week we focused on the circle.  I showed the kids both the circle cut-out on the ball (ours is a ball) and the circular block.  I again reiterated circle and showed them how to put the block in the cut-out.  We added the triangle from last week, but without so much attention

3) Using the same shape blocks from the second activity above, I would put all of the shapes in front of the kids and ask them, "Which one is the circle?"

I've been forgetting to mention that I've added a new element to our songs and videos; a Bible scripture.  We use The Rizers (click on the Bible verse for a The Rizers video) and for this week our lesson was 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18:
"¹⁵ Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

Below is a video of the kids watching The Rizers.  Its their new favorite thing!

My Family Monday: Everyday Life with Triplets

  It seems like Adriks's leg is getting better this week.  We were deliberating whether we should make a doctor's appointment for him today, but we decided against it and opted to wait until Thursday.  At least he seems to be sleeping better.  In risk of jinxing myself by mentioning it, I haven't had to go in to his room to put his pacey inhis mouth for three nights in a row.  Its strange for me to get eight straight hours of sleep and when my alarm goes off, I feel like I've overslept.  And to think, before the triplets came along, I needed nine hours to feel completely rested.
  On Friday, we changed things up a bit.  Since I no longer have a babysitter come every Friday and since Friday's a day off from running, I decided we would head over to the library.  Its been months since I last took the kids over there.  We used to participate in a baby and me storytime, but we stopped going.  It was really hard on all four of us and the storytime only lasted for 15 minutes.  Now that the kids are older, I thought they like to play in a little toy section of the library and boy was I right.  The kids had a blast!
  On Saturday, we were planning to go to a splash pad (Jenya said we had to do something, because it was the last Saturday before football starts).  Adrik's leg wasn't  doing too great that morning, so we decided that  a slippery splash pad might not be the best idea.  Since I had such success on Friday, we decided we would head back to the library instead and luckily it was just as fun for the kids.  We rounded off the evening with dinner and I don't think I've ever seen kids eat so much and behave so well!
  On Sunday, we headed over to the triplets' grandparents' house to celebrate in honor of their Uncle Pavlik. Today he celebrated his birthday!
 

Sunday Saying: Uncle Pavlik's Birthday

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.
Oprah Winfrey

Saturday Sprints:Ten Tips for Running a Marathon

Ten Tips for Running a Marathon:

1. Keep hydrated:
Not just during the race; try drinking the proverbial 8 cups of water per day for the entire week before the marathon. This way your body gets used to the extra fluid.

2. Check your shoes:
They should be in good condition, and it’s almost too late now for a new pair. Don’t try and use new shoes for running the marathon. You should have broken them in with at least one long run.

3. Eat your big pasta meal two days before the race:
Don’t try and carbo’ (over)load the night before the race. You could end up with an upset stomach the next morning. Instead have a fairly modest meal – sure enjoy a pasta dish, just don’t overdo it. In fact I recommend not doing anything too much out of the normal for the whole week before the race.
4. Relax the day before:
Try taking things real easy. Don’t spend hours on your feet at the pre-race expo – you’ll feel it the next day. A hot bath with Epsom salts can be really relaxing and beneficial.
5. Pace yourself correctly:

Take into account the weather, the course terrain and how you feel. I firmly believe it’s better to start out a little slower than your goal pace. Adjust your pace depending on how you feel, if you’re struggling at the halfway point you’d better pull back.

6. If the weather is bad – adjust your finish time:
Bad weather is one of the main things that can really impact your run. It’s better to accept this fact and aim for a slightly slower time rather than run out of energy and hit the wall at mile 20. Who knows, you might have a great run in spite of the weather, in which case you can pick up the pace in the latter stages of the race.
7. Be careful with power gels and energy replacement products:
Don’t take energy gels or even Gatorade if you haven’t done so during training. Your stomach can become upset very easily as you get into the later miles. Hopefully you will have experimented with different energy drinks and so forth during your training runs. I have found a simple slice or two of orange around mile 21 has helped me a lot.
8. Mentally divide the race into sections:
26.2 miles is a very long way! I always divide the race up into different segments. 10K, 10 miles, halfway, and 20 miles. Then as your reach one goal you aim for the next. This gives you something to focus on besides the finish line.
9. Try walking:
Brief walking breaks periodically will give your legs a change from the constant running stride. This will help the muscles avoid tightening up too much in the later stages. You won’t add a whole lot to your finish time either!
10. Walk around after the marathon:
You probably won’t feel like doing this but it will help you gradually cool down. As a result you’ll recover faster in the days following the race.

Source: http://www.marathon.ipcor.com/top-ten-marathon-tips.htm

This Week's Training Schedule:

Monday:          4 miles

Tuesday:         3 miles

Wednesday:     4 miles

Thursday:        3 miles

Friday:            Recovery

Saturday:        6 miles

Sunday:          Recovery

Thursday Three: What to Expect When Raising Triplets...Instant Fame

  As soon as I could, I started taking my triplets out in public (for us, it was six months old).  Immediately we became local celebrities.   I started our outings small...We would go to the local grocery store at 6am; right when they opened and hardly anyone was there.  Once it become too cold to venture out at that time, we switched to early afternoons, and now we do our shopping everyday at 3:30pm.  We know all of the employees and even found a wonderful person to watch the kids when I'm away for my volunteer work!  Anyway, its no wonder, we get stopped every few seconds.  Everybody wants to see the kids.  Their biggest fans?  Other small children.
  We do get a lot of comments and here is link to a post I wrote earlier about some of the things we've heard.  One lady did mention something interesting...She was a mother of twins and she said something to the effects of, "the attention might seem annoying now, but soon they will be grown and different sizes and no one will ever stop you again.  Enjoy it while it lasts.  You'll miss it when its gone."  With that being said, if you do have triplets, I encourage you to take them out in public often!  My kids are pretty well behaved in public and I think its because they are used to going out everyday.  Don't let the attention hinder you from taking your kids out and please don't let the fact that you have three discourage you from doing all the things you imagined you would do with just one baby.

Below is a picture that an owner of an Indian food restaurant (Nannfull) and posted on Facebook:

Wordless Wednesday: Mmm...Good!

Teaching Triplets Tuesday: Triangles

  We started a new unit on shapes last week and to kick things off, I taught the triplets about triangles.  Here is our lesson plan:

Prayer, Calendar Time, and Weather

Songs and Videos:

Journey to Ernie: Shapes (Unit video)

The Magic Finger: Triangles

My Triangle

Activities:

1) Our first activity was flash cards.  I drew a triangle on a piece of paper.  I taught the kids the word (always in English and Russian).  Later I allowed the kids to color on their triangles

2) For this activity, we used a cut-out shape toy like THIS.  For this week we only concentrated on the triangle.  I showed the kids both the triangle cut-out on the ball (ours is a ball) and the triangular shaped block.  I again reiterated triangle and showed them how to put the block in the cut-out.

3) Using the same shape blocks from the triangle activity above, I would put all of the shapes in front of the kids and ask them, "Which one is the triangle?"

My Family Mondays: Everyday Life with Triplets

  After the excitement of last week, its been pretty quiet (in the sense of uneventful) this week.  The only significant thing is that Adrik had an appointment for his fractured leg on Monday.  What a complete waste of time and money!  We got to the medical office and waited forever in a pretty non-kid friendly waiting area and then was showed to an even less kid friendly patient room (complete with scissors laying on the patient bed). Thankfully, once in our room, it didn't take long for the doctor to see us.  He proceeded to sit down and inform me that from the x-rays it appears that the fracture is very slight and that it has already begun the healing process.  Because of this, nothing needed to be done.  I thought, "Great! You couldn't have told me that over the phone."  But of course, doctors don't get paid the big bucks by doing things like that.  Now that its been a week since our doctor's visit, he seems to be doing worse.  I think that, not only has he rebroken his left leg, but he has broken his right leg and his right foot, as well. I'm ready to get a second opinion, but Jenya has convinced me that we'll just wait for the kids' next doctor's appointment on the 30th.  As you can imagine, Adrik has been GRUMPY!  It seems like he cries more than he laughs lately.  Poor little guy!  Hopefully the doctor will have some answers or at least send us to a specialist that will actually do something.

Saturday Sprints: The Sand Crab 10K

 
Sand Crab 10K:
  For as much as I hated the Mud Run, I equally loved the Sand Crab Run.  It was just enough of a challenge to make things interesting.  The sun was quickly slipping beneath the horizon at the beginning of the race and it wasn't too long into it that all runners were enveloped into blackness.  If it weren't for the small circular glow emanating from my head light, I wouldn't have been able to finish the race.  Fortunately, we were allowed to run in the sand compacted by the waves, but the start, finish, and turn around point all had to be done up in the loose sand.  The real challenge was avoiding the holes and sandcastles constructed by the beach goers earlier in the day and the wind was a killer.  Despite that, I loved every minute of this race.  I don't recall my official chip time, but I crossed the finish line at 54 minutes and 59 seconds; a time good enough to win a second place medal for my age division and a 5th overall ranking (for females).  Unfortunately,   it doesn't look like the results will be posted, so I'm not sure how many people I was competing against.
  After the race, there was a nice little party including a BBQ plate and unlimited beer for the participants.   As far as the food, I had my fill, but the beer was an indulgence I decided not to partake in.  There's just something unsettling to me about running 6.4 miles and then knocking back a few colds one.  So, all in all a great time.  I've actually decided to make this an annual thing for me, so I can't wait for next year!

Here is a link to race pictures.  The photographer only manged to get one of me and it happened to be the most hideous picture I've ever taken!

Last Weeks Training Schedule:
Monday:          Recovery (Dr. Appt. for Adrik)
Tuesday:          3 miles
Wednesday:     Active Recovery
Thursday:         4 miles
Friday:             3 miles
Saturday:         7 miles
Sunday:           Recovery

Freeday Friday: Salted Caramel Ice Cream Cake

Quite awhile ago, I made this when we had company over.  Although very messy, it was quite easy to make and impressive.  It was perfect for a hot Texas evening!

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, softened, for the pan
• 14 pizzelle (thin Italian waffle cookies) or thin butter cookies
• 3/4 cup chocolate fudge sauce
• 1 quart vanilla-caramel swirl ice cream, slightly softened
• 1 quart chocolate ice cream, slightly softened
• 1/2 cup dulce de leche or caramel sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
• 5 sugar cones
• 1/4 cup toffee bits

Directions

Cut a 24-by-6-inch strip of parchment paper. Butter the side of an 8-inch springform pan, then line the side with the parchment; the paper will extend above the rim of the pan so you can build a tall cake.

Cover the bottom of the pan with half of the pizzelle cookies, breaking them into smaller pieces as needed to cover the surface. Spread 1/4 cup fudge sauce over the cookies.

Pack about half of the vanilla-caramel and chocolate ice cream into the pan, alternating scoops of each flavor, until the bottom is covered. Drizzle with 1/4 cup dulce de leche and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Top with the remaining pizzelle cookies, pressing gently to pack in the ice cream and create an even surface.

Spread 1/4 cup fudge sauce over the pizzelle cookies. Top with scoops of the remaining vanilla-caramel and chocolate ice cream. Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup each dulce de leche and fudge sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Arrange the ice cream cones, point-side up, on top. Freeze until firm, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Remove the side of the springform pan and the parchment. Press the toffee bits into the side of the cake. Serve immediately or freeze for up to 2 days.

Wordless Wednesday: Portraits

Teaching Triplets Tuesday: The Color Purple

  Last week was the last week for colors and I really believe that I've been pretty successful at teaching the kids how to distinguish different colors, definitely so for the girls.  Not only can they pick out colors, but the can also say the names of the colors.  Last week we focused on purple.  Here is what we learned:

Prayer, Calendar Time, and Weather

Songs and Videos:

Three Primary Colors from Sesame Street (Unit song)

P-U-R-P-L-E

Purple

Activities:

1) Our first activity was flash cards.  I took six pieces of constructionpaper; red, yellow, blue, orange, green, and purple.  I taught the kids purple and then placed all the pieces of paper on the floor and asked "Which is purple?"

2)  I choose four yellow balls from the ball pit and one purple ball from the ball pit and had the kids pick out the purple ball, asking, "Which ball is purple?"

3) Purple ball bath:  I took all of the purple balls out of the ball pit and threw them in the tub for the triplets' bath. 

My Family Monday: Everyday Life with Triplets

 Last week went by fast!  The first part of the week was pretty grueling since Adrik was in pain and letting us know about it.  He was just so cranky and not sleeping well at night at all.  On Thursday we had his doctor's appointment and found out why he was so grumpy (he fractured his ankle as stated in my Freeday Friday post).  Friday I had our babysitter come for a couple of hours so that I could pack.  And then on Saturday morning, I headed out of town for the Sand Crab 10k in Galveston.
  I had such a great time and I even relished the fact that I was by myself.  I didn't have to worry about anyone else's agenda and I could do whatever I wanted for a change...It was nice.  I got into Galveston at around 12:30pm and headed to Poretto Beach just for a minute to pick up my race packet.  Next stop was Harborside, were I sat down for lunch at Willie G's.  While dining, I sat outside and watched the ships come into port and the tourists milling around.  After lunch, I headed to the next street over....The Historic Strand, which over the years, has become less historic and more about bars, tattoo parlors, and cheesy souvenir shops.  My next stop was to check into my room at the Lost Bayou Bed and Breakfast where I refreshed and took it easy for awhile until I headed back to Poretto Beach.  I sat on the beach reading and people watching.  And then strolled down the beach and actually went in the water for awhile.  After three hours, I headed back to my car, pulled my running clothes over my swimsuit, exchanged my sandals for Adidas, and grabbed my Camelbak and my headlight.   I was ready to run.  The race started at 8:30pm (I'll post my race details on Saturday) and I was back in my room by 11:00pm.  My much anticipated restful sleep was the only disappointment of the trip.  Once I got back to my room, I couldn't go to sleep; I was too hyped up from the race.  Once I finally drifted off, it was not restful.  Since Adrik had been getting up during the night all week long, it was like I was used to the interruption and I would constantly wake up in anticipation of it.  After forcing myself to stay in bed until 7:15am, I got up and readied myself for the day.  I had breakfast at 9am and promptly left for the trip back home.  My little get away was nice, but I missed home and my four babies.
  Jenya and the kids did wonderfully without me.  In fact, the only one to really acknowledge my homecoming was Charli Kate.  Adrik and Tali were more interested in the book their Babushka was reading them.  On Saturday, my family minus me partied at their Babushka's house for a belated birthday celebration and then Galina (Babushka) came over on Sunday, as well.  Things went so smoothly, I guess I'm going to have to get away more often...Hmmm, where else can I go for a day?

Sunday Saying: The End of Summer

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~Russel Baker

Freeday Friday: The Story About Adrik's Leg

  Adrik fractured his leg.  He actually fractured it on Saturday, but nothing elaborate happened, so we didn't know anything was wrong.  There was no big fall, no constant crying, no indication of severe pain whatsoever.  In fact, we had a house full of people and not one person noticed anything out of the ordinary.  As soon as everyone left, we noticed Adrik was falling...a lot!  He's always been on the clumsy side, but he would barely take two steps and then fall.  We also noticed he was limping, so we decided we'd keep an eye on him and see if he gets any better.  Things stayed the same, but he kept walking/limping along and there was no swelling or bruising.  I did poke around and realized that the spot of irritation was about halfway between his foot and knee on the left leg, but nothing felt out of place...He would just give a little cry if and pressure was applied.  After our jog on Wednesday, Adrik was limping, falling, and crying and I decided it was time to get that leg checked out.  I made an appointment for the next day. The doctor pretty much did the same poking that I had done early, with the same results and then gave us his conclusion that it was probably a severe strain, but we should have it x-rayed just in case.  Well, the x-rays showed a fracture and so we will be off to see a specialist on Monday.  I did get the chance to speak to the specialist through the receptionist and he concluded that the fracture is not severe enough to warrant immediate attention and that Adrik can even walk on his leg.  So now that I feel like the worse mom ever, I think I'll be a little bit more on the overprotective mom side of things for awhile.

Thursday Threes: What to Expect When Raising Triplets....Laundry

  I decided to start a new series for my Thursday Threes posts....What to Expect When Raising Triplets.  I won't be doing this every Thursday, but every once in awhile, I'll post strange little things that I didn't expect to worry about when I was pregnant, but has been a major part of everyday life with triplets.
  My first post is about laundry.  I try to do a load of laundry everyday.  I organized my small laundry room so that it is a convenient little spot to store clean, folded clothes in case I don't get a chance to put everything away.  I have three shelves on one wall; one shelf for my clothes, one shelf for my husband's clothes, and one shelf for the babies' clothes.  I have a shower curtain rod attached (with screws) above my washer and dryer for hung laundry.  And I have three Ikea baskets hung on the wall for small items like socks. This has been pertinent in keeping the house clean and free of laundry clutter.

(Come back tomorrow for pictures of my laundry room.)

Wordless Wednesday: The Joys of Parenthood

Teaching Triplets Tuesdays: The Color Green

Last week we moved on to the second to last chapter in our colors unit; GREEN:

Prayer, Calendar Time, and Weather

Songs and Videos:

Three Primary Colors from Sesame Street (Unit song)

G-R-E-E-N

Green

Activities:

1) Our first activity was flash cards.  I took six pieces of constructionpaper; red, yellow, blue, orange, green, and purple.  I taught the kids green and then placed all the pieces of paper on the floor and asked "Which is green?"

2)  I choose four yellow balls from the ball pit and one orange ball from the ball pit and had the kids pick out the green ball, asking, "Which ball is green?"

3) Green ball bath:  I took all of the green balls out of the ball pit and threw them in the tub for the triplets' bath. 

Sunday Saying: Housework

Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy.  ~Author Unknown

Saturday Sprints: The Slow Road to a Marathon

  I've been struggling with my Saturday posts....We now do all of our 'crafts' to coincide with our lesson, so they are covered in out Teaching Triplets Tuesdays.  I started doing Saturday Sprints on the days that I compete in races, so I decided to expand on that idea.  At the beginning of each month, I will post a monthly training schedule and for the other Saturdays of the month I will blog about running tips, races that I've competed in, and other helpful running information.  Every week, I will post my training for that week.  This will not be the same as my monthly training schedules, since for this I will start at the very beginning (getting to the point in which you can run 30 minutes without the need to stop).  The sections about my training is  more of an opportunity for me to journal my road to the marathon.  This is a slow journey to a marathon....So the training schedule is roughly 20 months.  I don't know how many people are interested in this type schedule, but I'm hoping that it will be more than only me.  I designed my schedule using two methods; one from a book called The Non-Runners Marathon Trainer and the other was created for me by a former marathon runner.  I combined both methods and actually doubled their links so that I now have a slow and hopefully easy and injury free marathon training schedule.  So with no further ado, my first formal Saturday Sprints:

Monthly Training:
Week One:  Moderate walking pace(17-20 min/mile)  for 30 minutes, three days of the week
Week Two: Moderate walking pace (17-20 min/mile)  for 30 minutes, four days of the week
Week Three: Fast walking pace (13-16 min/mile) for 30 minutes, three days of the week
Week Four: Fast walking pace (13-16 min/mile)  for 30 minutes, four days of the week

My Training Week:
Monday:        3 miles
Tuesday:        4 miles
Wednesday:  Active Recovery (walked 3 miles)
Thursday:      3 miles
Friday:          Recovery
Saturday:       6 miles (long run)
Sunday:         Recovery

Freeday Friday: A Berry Special Birthday

  On Saturday July 7th we celebrated my sweet niece, Selah's fourth birthday.  We played Pin the Berry, we pulled strings on a pinata, opened gifts, ate pizza and cake, and even had a few minutes to play in the sprinklers.  It was such a fun day!

A big thanks to my  sister, Michelle, for the stolen photos! :)

Thursday Threes: Tips for Losing the Triplet Belly

  I know I've already blogged about this once before, but I never did it for my Thursday Threes segment.  Here are tips that worked for me when it came time to lose the extra weight:

1)     Breastfeed!!!!
 With breastfeeding alone, I lost most of the weight....50 of the 75 pounds that I gained.  When you are breastfeeding don't worry about eating less or working out.

2)     Do what works for you
For me it was running.  That's what I've been doing for twenty years.  If you hate to run, don't
expect that you will suddenly enjoy it and if you do something you don't enjoy you won't continue.

3)    Set your goals low
When I started working out again, I could only run for about five minutes and that felt like I had just ran a marathon.  Keep your goals manageable so that you don't get discouraged.

4)     Make your workouts a part of your routine
Doing something at the same time everyday will increase the chances that you will stick to it.

5)      Use accountability
For me, my kids made me accountable.....I took them on jogs with me and they learned to take a
nap while I was jogging.  It got to the point that if we weren't able to go out for our jog, the kids
would be grumpy.  Another idea is to hire a babysitter (if you can afford it) or have someone come spend time with the kids while you workout.  Or you could have your partner take care of them during your workout, but make sure that he or she is adamant about holding you accountable.

6)     Watch what you eat
For me to get back to my prepregnancy weight, I had to run A LOT and I had to seriously cut down my calories.  I would drink a 16 ounce Green Goodness fruit and vegetable smoothie for breakfast and lunch and then have a full meal for dinner.  I cut out all sweets for a time, as well.  Once I got a little bit below my prepregnancy weight, I started eating normally again.  This was the only thing that would take off the last 15 pounds.

7)     Don't expect your prepregnancy body to return
Although I weigh the same as before, I have about four inches of extra skin, not mention the stretch marks.  Those, I can't run off.

8)     Listen to your body
I hate excuses and the only reason that you should skip a workout is because your body is telling you there is something wrong.  Weather, tiredness, allergies...Those are all excuses.  When your body is telling you something is wrong, make sure you do listen and cut back, so that you don't further injure yourself, but be honest about it.  The only person you are hurting is you.

There really isn't a secret to losing the weight.  You have to use diet and exercise.  Hope these tips help!

Wordless Wednesday: August 1, 2011