DIY Simple Wood Crate Side Table

We've reached another big milestone in our house! No more baby gates! In a hurried frenzy of productivity this past Wednesday while the kids were at my parents house, I began organizing toys, cleaning out storage space, labeling bins and took down the gates that barricaded the play room. We will slowly begin transitioning it to a more official living room and play room combination—I'm already loving it and the kids were beyond thrilled at their official household freedom.

Many of the toys that were in the play room stayed, and I just moved things around to create a reading corner, a kitchen corner, a space for Harrison to play with his cars and used the train table as a sort of coffee table in front of the love seat and recliner (I dragged the latter down from upstairs all on my own!). I also plan to leave less toys out and use bins and bags to organize and store them so the kids only have out a few things at a time. My quad mom friend, Amber, does this with great success, which helps minimize the mess and clutter in her house. But more on that and the new play room later! For now, I needed a quick and easy side table to throw into the mix as I was feeling brave and wanted a place to put a lamp, drinks and stash books and magazines so adults could both relax in there and also easily read to kiddos that climb up in our laps.

no more baby gates!

I was out running errands that morning and spotted wooden crates at Michaels when inspiration struck. With my 40% off coupon, the crate was only about $8 and change. (Even Wal-Mart isn't that cheap, I think their's are $10.) My errands happened to take me by a second Michaels so I stopped by there to grab wood glue and a second crate with the coupon, since you can only use the coupon on one item per visit, and headed home. 

The small paint pots are from Target, which is their own paint brand, and the sponge brushes are cheapies from Wal-Mart. I threw them away when I was done because the wood tore them up a bit. And after all my work I realized that I probably could've saved myself some time and effort by just spray painting the crates but oh well! 

I painted the turquoise on the inside first then followed up with the darker blue. Then I went back with a smaller brush to correct any mistakes where the dark color got on top of the turquoise. There's still a few spots I'll need to touch up, especially on the sides that I glued together that are missing paint. I didn't bother for it to be perfect as I wanted a slightly rustic look. Some of the boards inside the crates aren't fully saturated with paint since I wanted it that way. I also just let it all dry before putting it to use, but might spray it with a sealant later on. And for now, I like the brighter colors for the play room but can always repaint later!

A liberal amount of wood glue, a set of clamps and some Coke boxes for weight and the whole thing was done! It was dry by the time I finished rearranging the play room so I brought it in and added a spare lamp from the guest room, some food magazines and tot-friendly books.

It's provided the perfect place for me to set my tea and a magazine when I need to rest for a few minutes  in between potty training, which we are doing full force this weekend!! More on that later! For now, I hear a toilet seat slamming and must investigate...

...time for more wine!

Quads First Trip to The Disney Store

I was so excited to finally take the kiddos to The Disney Store for their very first visit—and they were just as excited when we arrive as I'd hoped they would be! They literally squealed at the sight of all their favorite Disney characters and the fully loaded shelves of toys, princess dresses, cars and plush figures. 

To make the day even more special, the staff member that greeted us overheard it was the kids first visit (to mention they literally ran screeching in four different directions) she immediately jotted down their names and had a welcome sign put up on the screen a few minutes later. They each even received certificates for their visit, which they proudly toted around while perusing the store.

The quads did so well walking with me and Tiffani around the store and looking at everything there was to offer, then making a second walk back through to each select a toy of their choosing. We had a gift card from a sweet friend, and so it was extra special shopping done that day. One of my favorite moments was when Harrison literally gasped and said, "Oh, wow!" when he saw all the cars and planes. It literally made my heart squeeze. 

There was a coloring table set up that the kids enjoyed sitting at for a few minutes, and they loved the big screen that played snippets of popular Disney movies, including Frozen and Tangled. During checkout, we learned they also have story time there on Monday mornings, which sounds like a great idea for a slow week! The photo above shows the items that each kiddo picked out—all very happy with their newly acquired toys!

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got an important call from Minnie Mouse apparently...

We're Back...

I am happy to report things have improved around here.

Thank God.

Because I was about two glasses of wine away from becoming a raving lunatic. I literally could not take another freaking second of sick kids, home confinement, laundry or whining. It was truly awful. The quads got a terrible cold or virus of some sort—though they tested negative for flu—and two were suspected to have RSV. We were doling out meds, nebulizer breathing treatments and kleenex all day and night. Then sometimes one would have such a bad coughing fit that would cause them to gag which would end up making them vomit. Ugghhhh. And right when we started seeing some improvement, we ALL caught a stomach bug. Despite being indoors and Lysoling the crap out of my house, using hand sanitizer so much it cracked the skin on my fingers and washing sheets every day. So then we were holding puking kids over trash cans, toilets or plastic bags while trying not to be sick ourselves. The husband went down hard for a whole day and night, poor guy, and I had to rally and tend to the quads on my own, and no one was able to come over for fear of catching the sick. Awful, just awful.

My parents jumped to the rescue as soon as they recovered from having been ill for awhile and took the kids for two nights and two days last week. The kids had just gotten well and they needed to get out and I needed to not see them for a little bit. I know some moms are particular about it—for me, I think it's totally fine (and human) to need some space from our kids sometimes. It makes me happier to see them again, gives me a reprieve from being a mom for just a minute and helps me actually do better. So I'm all for it whenever it works out and I'm so glad the kids love going to my parents house. Incidentally, it was their first overnight stay anywhere ever and they did awesome. So awesome that they stayed a second night without issue, and they knew they'd be going home so they never got upset about being away.

I didn't worry about cleaning the house, updating my blog or really working on much of anything those two days. I needed to decompress, lounge around, sleep in (which I did quite well) and recooperate. Because no matter how much I did or didn't do, those four little people of mine were definitely coming back and I was going to have to be ready regardless! So sleep and lounging it was.

Since our return back to the living, the sane and the (for the most part) normally functioning part of society, we've done a couple things that indicate routine is forth coming. And right now I could really go for routine, because it doesn't involve puke or Advil.

It actually really, truly snowed in our area—a rare commodity for Texas!—and the kids got their first experience with the fluffy white stuff. Everyone loved it but two got cold and decided to throw a fit after about 20 minutes so, you know. They all went back out later that evening with the husband once he was home from work and, well, since daddy makes snowballs it was much more fun! And my mom even made snow ice cream, which was quite yummy and a hit with the kids. A snow day or two was fun, but once it all melted, though, it's been back to cold, wet, dreary looking weather.

I was practically giddy with excitement for the kids to go back to school, which they attend one day a week. Just in time for spring break next week so it'll be another hot minute before they get to go again. Win some, lose some.

We have made a trip to the grocery store and restocked our food supply, since everyone's eating more than crackers and jello again. We've done crafts, too. I have barely cracked open a crayon box since the Great Sickness came, so it feels good to actually do some projects with them and avoid the TV.

This evening, before bedtime, there were a few moments of heart melting sweetness. My girls are so beautiful and they look so grown up with their top knots and dresses here. And Harrison gave out a few very loving kisses to his sisters, which melts my heart even more. These kids, though they be a handful so much of the time, are truly my life's greatest achievement and my pride and joy.

Fill me in if I've missed anything important—I've had no knowledge of what's going on in the outside world and am catching up this week! Relishing every minute of our improved quality of life and keeping my fingers all crossed that it doesn't go down again for awhile...

Mandatory Spa Time, Foundation Work & Sickies

It's been a long, exhausting week...much akin to the weekend we just had, unfortunately. The kids are still sick. And I'm just about to the end of my rope. I'll spare you the excessive whiney details and instead share with you the brief outing I got on my own Friday morning. After I got all the kids up, checked everyone's temps and doled out meds, handed off the reigns to our former nanny (who's back with us on Friday mornings!) and kenneled the dogs so the contractors could access our back yard to fill the gaping holes beneath a few areas of our foundation. Neglect of the backyard prior to us purchasing our home resulted in some serious erosion of all the dirt back there, so every time it rains you can literally see the paths of mud flowing away from our house, down the hill toward the failing retaining wall at the end of the backyard before it drops off to a greenbelt and creek area. Now, however, everything's packed in and good to go so our next big step will be to level our backyard and redo the retaining wall. Nothing major.

But back to my outing! So after handling just a few things that morning, I headed off to the Crescent Hotel for an indulgent pedicure. It was their new "waterless" pedi that I enjoyed in a zero gravity chair that reclines to your liking, complete with a heated aromatherapy neck wrap and my favorite part....peace and quiet! One of the ladies noticed I kept rubbing my temples due to a headache I've endured for nearly 72 hours and brought me some delicious chamomile tea, which I sipped while my newly polished toes dried. The pedicure treatment was perfect—scrubs, spritzes, hot towel wraps and one fantastic leg massage! It was all in the name of research for a magazine beauty feature I'm writing. Sometimes work just has to be done, right??

I lingered for a few moments in the locker room—where they offer more tea, water and fruit—and wished I could've stayed for a dip in the whirlpool and lunch at the cafe, but had to head home to my sick babies. The contractors finished up with the foundation not long after and I got the kids down for naps then sat down on the couch right as the lawn guys showed up. I headed back outside to write their check and kennel the dogs again then sat down for a few minutes before one of the girls woke up. And so the afternoon went.

My Kailey girl actually took the photo above on my phone. She loves to snatch it off the counter and knows how to hit the camera button to activate it. Then she'll find everyone and tell us all to "wook at the camwa" and say "cheeeeeese!" It's really pretty cute and endearing and then I'll go through the 743,239 pictures later and save any good ones. But like the image shows, I've been cuddling sick kiddos all week and doling out breathing treatments and medicine like it's my J-O-B. Which it sorta is right now, aside from the deadline I'm on for this article I'm writing and the Etsy orders I desperately need to package and ship. 

This morning I woke up way too early and headed off to a synchronized swim competition for my local team, the Pirouettes of Texas, who I swam with for 11 years in my younger (athletic) days. My teammate, who's also one of my longest and best friends, now coaches the club and I signed up to become a judge to help support the sport. It's perfect for me at this stage as it's a commitment I can keep, even with quads at home, and I love being able to stay involved.

Unfortunately, by the time I got home the kids were taking yet another turn for the worse. All my hopes of potential improvement for our health were dashed to pieces. Trystan was running a fever again and Harrison began vomiting by the evening, which has continued well into the night. 

And yet sadder still, before I could finish off this blog post, we've added another one to our bedroom floor. Logan woke up covered in puke, so we're still up with the sickies at nearly 2am and are passing some of the "in between" time with an episode of The Tonight Show. I poured a glass of wine earlier tonight that I sipped on until just after 11pm when I decided that this night clearly wasn't over and opted to pour another half glass. The husband mocked my late-night drinking, only to end up pouring himself a glass just after midnight when yet another one bit the dust. He and I have both been sick ourselves for the second time in just over two weeks—sinus congestion and coughs be damned—and we've literally had enough. So whatever it takes to make it through tonight is fine in my book. We've now done five baths since dinner and the wee hours are still young.

Thank goodness for mandatory spa visits...

Our (Long) Weekend

There's been some highs and lows this weekend. An immediate high that comes to mind was getting out with just the husband on Sunday and watching the new Kingsmen movie—it was a great film! An immediate low is that the kids are all miserably sick, yet again, and we've got at least another week of recovery to go. The pediatrician even suspected that two might have RSV, and we've started breathing treatments to combat the wheezing in their chests. He also suggested a four week quarantine. Sigh.

When did my life morph into a medicine chart and endless bottles of Children's Advil, lukewarm baths to reduce fevers, load after load of laundry thanks to upchucks and whiney, clingy two year olds? Uh, well, technically about two weeks ago I guess. They all got sick then got well for 48 hours then started getting sick again. And now our doctor has advised us to keep them out of the general public and any germ-infested places for the next month. Feels like lockdown all over again. (We kept the babies on quarantine at home for about six months after they first came home from the NICU due to their 10-week premature birth and underdeveloped lungs and immune systems.)

I feel so bad for my babies and we're certainly doing everything we can to keep them as comfortable as possible and to help them recover. Humidifiers are running in the bedrooms at night, I've got peppermint essential oil diffusing during the day to help stuffy noses, we stick to our medicine dosage chart and schedule so we don't miss any—like Zarbee's nighttime cough syrup with honey to help them stop hacking and get sleep at night. We bath frequently to keep germs at bay and have changed bed linens, run countless loads of laundry and gone through about eight boxes of Cool Touch Kleenex so far. (It's the only reason their noses aren't raw.)

In fact, I'll let the kiddos update you as to how they're faring...



Oh yeah, an allergic reaction in the mix of everything right now has me on edge. I'm already paranoid enough when Trystan gets a fever, ever since her seizure in Target, and now I'm paranoid about Kailey sleeping through the night and her throat not swelling up or something in response to the antibiotics she apparently can't take. It's a wonder my eyelids aren't twitching yet and I haven't started going mental.

In between all the crazy, I've lowered my expectations for our days in general. Play time has included lots of lounging atop piles of blankets and pillows or the couch while watching some of their favorite shows, like Shaun the Sheep or Amazon's new exclusive Tumble Leaf (very cute)...

...made trips to the backyard when it's warm for some fresh air and play dough...

...pretended to pack themselves into boxes and bins that resulted in sheer hilarity...

...and multi-tasked, like coloring while doing breathing treatments. :(

We did celebrate Valentine's Day, which you can read about my decision to get on board with the holiday here. The kids loved their gift bags, the girls especially went crazy over the blue princess night gowns they got and have requested to wear them daily. They incur open-mouthed screeches of excitement and also dancing.

The husband and I exchanged some very lovely and meaningful cards after collapsing into bed Saturday night once we'd gotten the kids settled yet again and could finally catch 10 minutes of peaceful quiet in the house. I received a nice gift card to one of my favorite kitchen stores, Sur La Table! And the husband received a personalized pocket knife with a laser engraved rosewood handle, which was a hit. It came from an Etsy shop called Everything Decorated. I'd had plans—and a recipe and all the ingredients—to make a romantic dinner for us that we'd planned to enjoy with wine but we were both just so wiped out we called it a night. 

Since we have no other fun photos of family outings or anything exciting from this weekend I'll digress to the weekend prior. During the aforementioned 48 hours of healthiness, we made it out to the country to visit the husband's grandfather, who's a spry 94 years old and was all too happy to have the quads hug his neck and run around his house and acreage. 

Natural Steps Stampede Western Boots

I also made it to dinner with my fellow quad momma buddy, who was just recently in the trenches with a very sick quad squad of her own. And yeeeeeeah, that's a bathroom selfie I took while I was wearing something that wasn't black, yoga material or partially covered in toddler excretions. You can judge, just do it silently!

Needless to say, between all the coughing fits that lead to gagging that leads to upchucks in any random old place around the house, the whiney toddlers that require tons of extra cuddles and TLC and everything else going on in our house right now, I was pretty happy to have the husband home today from work as it was a holiday for his office. Poor guy is also now officially sick, though, but he still held down the fort so I could run some errands and get out on my own before tackling the rest of the week stuck in the house. 

I'm thinking tomorrow morning—since it's too cold for the park and we can't make our usual trip to the gym where the kids play at the kid's club—we'll do some drive-thru errands. And maybe just some extra driving around in general so momma can enjoy a mocha light frappuccino from Starbucks and get my caffeine on. It's rare I get to finish any sort of drink while at home with all four. Unless you count the wine. Wine always gets drank!

So please send prayers and well wishes our way....

Here's hopin' the kiddos will be back to heartbreaker status in no time.