2 Under 2

i’ve been thinking for awhile about having so many little ones under 6 years old.  and about how much easier it’s gotten.  and the things i’ve learned along the way.  and that i should share them.  because i would’ve given my right arm to learn some of these things, oh, you know, not the hard way.  so here are a few.  and i’ll update the list as new ones come to mind or i learn a new one, oh, you know, the hard way.  please feel free to add to my list in the comments or by emailing me and i’ll try to pull some of ‘em out and post ‘em for others.

in no particular order…

• when venturing out to walmart – take a baby carrier/sling/backpack thing.  park by a buggy.  even if that’s in timbuktu – consider the walk yet more exercise.  put the 2 year old in the buggy first and then strap baby onto your body.
• when making cinnamon rolls – buy the off-brand and unroll them, pinch them into thirds, at least, roll them up like normal and then bake them as usual.  now they’re “cutesy” and bite-sized.
• seussian pancakes – buy a box of (again) off-brand pancake mix.  mix up the entire box at one time, seperate into different bowls, color each bowl a different color with food coloring, and cook them all.  freeze them in ziplocks.  now you have breakfast anytime.  fast.  and the kids love ‘em colored.  and their poop comes out fun colors too.  just thought i’d warn you.
• when you chop onions (or any veggie or fruit) chop all that you can at once and freeze them in ziplocks.  saves so much time.  later.  b) do this with ground beef – buy the big tube, brown it all, and freeze it in recipe sized portions.  c) same with chicken breasts – boil them all, shred them all, seperate into recipe sized portions.  so much time saved.
• do what you can – when you can.  when nobody’s crying at you (you know, in that 3 minutes…) a) make all the sippy cups you can.  fill them with what you know they want and stack ‘em in the fridge.  then they can get the drinks themselves or you can grab as you need ‘em.  same with b) blogging – i’ve done 3 posts while sitting here – ‘causin’ i won’t be able to get to the computer except one-handed for no tellin’ how long.  c) same with settin’ out their clothes for the next time you go to town  d) tape their shows you approve of so you’re not stuck watching somethin’ you don’t wanna or pullin’ your hair out.
• drop your expectations.  a) i hope to finish this post.  probably won’t happen right now.  so i won’t get frustrated (ok, so maybe just a little) i’ll just save it and work on it the next time nobody’s crying.  b) walmart will not go off without a hitch.  it just won’t.  if it ever does – put it on the calendar because it won’t happen again.  really.  face it.  now, when they fall apart in front of the candy at the check out after a 2 hour shopping trip you’ll be happy to know you’re normal, not mad because they weren’t perfect.  c) a dinner that says it takes 20 minutes to prep – with 2 under 2 that translates to roughly an hour and a half.  really.  see, now you’re not mad, you just planned an hour and 10 minutes earlier to cook.
• if you find yourself needing 2 buggies at walmart (which i do frequently when leaving – i never can get everything back into one buggy after check out) leave 2 year old where they are (if you pick them up to move them you’ll have a meltdown when you put them right back into a different buggy.)  tell the checkout person you need a second buggy (they’re never really fond of this, but that’s ok) – connect the 2 buggies by using the seatbelt straps to hook to the end of the other buggy and walk out like a train.  2 year old is still in the buggy that’s in the back and you’re pulling the buggy by the end that’s up front.  checking frequently to see if 2 year old is bailing out and making sure that 5 year old is holding 4 year old’s hand and holding the buggy simultaneously.  (did i mention that you must rid yourself of any pride when the second child is born?)
• ok, while no one’s crying at me – i must excuse myself, finish unloading the dishwasher, clean off the counter, make up those sippies for morning, reload dishwasher, fold laundry, and start a new load of clothes, so that i can switch them in the a.m., and do a sweep of the house for off-limits stuff that 2 year old can destroy first thing in the morning that my hubby and i might have left out tonight, ie. pretzels in the bag on the couch, cups of water that could be dumped, and on and on and on…