How To Prepare for a Tornado - The Toddler Edition

Sean thinks I go overboard during tornado season. We have the same conversation every time the warning sirens go off. I scuttle as fast as I can to the basement, and he stands in the kitchen and laughs at me. I'm sure part of it has to do with him being from the Midwest, and me being from southern New Mexico where tornadoes are unheard of.

But, I'm the mom, so I allow myself to do as much tornado prep as I feel necessary.

Two years ago, just days after we brought our quadruplets home from the NICU, we had a crazy storm with big tornadoes that found us all piled in the basement with monitors, oxygen tanks, home health nurses, and the mailman.

The first year taught me a lesson, so I wanted to be prepared the next year. Last year I wrote a post about  How to Prepare for Tornadoes with Multiples. Our kids were infants at the time, so our tornado box was full of bottles, formula, bibs, and other infant items.

This year, I have a bunch of toddlers, so I had to revamp the box a bit.

Pin it! 

As I pack my box for the season, I try to think in terms of entertaining my two-year-old quadruplets in the basement for 30 minutes while the siren is going off, but also making sure they have enough diapers to last a couple of days if the house blows away. Obviously, if the worst case scenario happens, I'm hoping we can make it to a family member's house or a shelter that same day, but I really don't want my kids walking around in poopy diapers for hours on end if I can help it.

Pin it! 

Here are the contents of my Toddler Tornado Box this year:

• Diaper Wipes
• Daytime Diapers (2 days worth)
• Nighttime Diapers (2 days worth)
• Four Sweatshirts/Jackets (1 for each child)
• Four Sets of Clothes (1 for each child)
• Four Sets of Pajamas (1 for each child)
• Flashlight
• Hand Sanitizer
• Kleenex
• Four Lightweight Blankets
• Four Cups
• Two 1/2 Gallons of Juice
• Twenty-Four Water Bottles
• Box of Dry Cereal
• Box of Nutrigrain Bars
• Bag of Goldfish Crackers
• Bucket of Toys
• Coloring Book and Crayons
• Wiggles DVD
• Lord of the Beans VeggieTales DVD
• Books

I also have my list of items to grab once I get the kids safely in the basement. Of course, I would only grab these things if there was enough time. Using a laundry basket, I should be able to whip through the house and collect everything quickly since a lot of these items are in the same locations.

Is it overkill? Only until a tornado actually hits, and we need the stuff in my annual tornado box. Then it's not overkill anymore. And if we never need it? Well, then at least I got my exercise lugging all of this stuff downstairs.

Do you have a tornado plan in place? What do you do at your house to prepare for severe weather?

This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Sean thinks I go overboard during tornado season. We have the same conversation every time the warning sirens go off. I scuttle as fast as I can to the basement, and he stands in the kitchen and laughs at me. I'm sure part of it has to do with him being from the Midwest, and me being from southern New Mexico where tornadoes are unheard of.

But, I'm the mom, so I allow myself to do as much tornado prep as I feel necessary.

Two years ago, just days after we brought our quadruplets home from the NICU, we had a crazy storm with big tornadoes that found us all piled in the basement with monitors, oxygen tanks, home health nurses, and the mailman.

The first year taught me a lesson, so I wanted to be prepared the next year. Last year I wrote a post about  How to Prepare for Tornadoes with Multiples. Our kids were infants at the time, so our tornado box was full of bottles, formula, bibs, and other infant items.

This year, I have a bunch of toddlers, so I had to revamp the box a bit.

Pin it! 

As I pack my box for the season, I try to think in terms of entertaining my two-year-old quadruplets in the basement for 30 minutes while the siren is going off, but also making sure they have enough diapers to last a couple of days if the house blows away. Obviously, if the worst case scenario happens, I'm hoping we can make it to a family member's house or a shelter that same day, but I really don't want my kids walking around in poopy diapers for hours on end if I can help it.

Pin it! 

Here are the contents of my Toddler Tornado Box this year:

• Diaper Wipes
• Daytime Diapers (2 days worth)
• Nighttime Diapers (2 days worth)
• Four Sweatshirts/Jackets (1 for each child)
• Four Sets of Clothes (1 for each child)
• Four Sets of Pajamas (1 for each child)
• Flashlight
• Hand Sanitizer
• Kleenex
• Four Lightweight Blankets
• Four Cups
• Two 1/2 Gallons of Juice
• Twenty-Four Water Bottles
• Box of Dry Cereal
• Box of Nutrigrain Bars
• Bag of Goldfish Crackers
• Bucket of Toys
• Coloring Book and Crayons
• Wiggles DVD
• Lord of the Beans VeggieTales DVD
• Books

I also have my list of items to grab once I get the kids safely in the basement. Of course, I would only grab these things if there was enough time. Using a laundry basket, I should be able to whip through the house and collect everything quickly since a lot of these items are in the same locations.

Is it overkill? Only until a tornado actually hits, and we need the stuff in my annual tornado box. Then it's not overkill anymore. And if we never need it? Well, then at least I got my exercise lugging all of this stuff downstairs.

Do you have a tornado plan in place? What do you do at your house to prepare for severe weather?

This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Adventures in Homemade Applesauce

Every now and again, I decide to tackle a new project just to keep my creativity alive. Generally, I combine my new project with an attempt at saving money too.

Our CSA (community supported agriculture) sent us apples in a couple of our recent produce bags. Lots and lots of apples. So many apples that we couldn't eat through all of them before they went bad.

So I decided that this was a good opportunity to learn how to make applesauce!

Our friends, Sarah and Wendell, make applesauce every year, so I asked Sarah for a few pointers prior to getting started. She gave me the run down on how to do it and offered to let me use her applesauce maker thingy (my name for it, not hers.)

It actually turned out to be super easy and fun! I think this will be a great project to involve the kids in in the future!

Lots of fresh apples, all rinsed and ready to go!

Any variety and combination of apples can be used. For this batch, I used 9 lbs of Jonathan apples and 3 lbs of Golden Delicious apples.

Cut each apple into quarters. No need to core or peel them!

And dump them all into a big roasting pan...skins, seeds, and all!

At this point, you can cook them until soft one of two ways:

I baked mine on the bottom rack in the oven for several hours. I didn't add any extra water because apples have quite a bit of water content on their own. I was doing some other baking at the time, so it didn't require extra energy to do it this way. I gave the apples a quick stir a few times just to make sure that they were cooking evenly. Once they were mushy, I knew that they were done.

Another option is to boil them for 20 minutes or so until they are soft. If you add water to your roasting pan and turn on both burners underneath it, you can boil them that way. Or if you have a large stockpot, that will work as well. Next time, I'll probably go this route since it's quicker.

Soft, mushy apples.

Once they have cooled a bit, you are ready to turn them into applesauce!

This is the nifty applesauce maker thingy that I borrowed. It's the most fun I've had with a kitchen gadget since Sean gave me my Kitchen Aid Mixer last Christmas!

B2B Food Strainer & Sauce Maker

Check this out!

The mushy apples go in the top container.

And then all you have to do is turn the crank! The apples funnel down into a cylinder that separates the apple skins, seeds, and stems from the apple flesh.

All of the apple guts come out and dump into a bowl...

And all of the strained and pureed apples pour into another bowl!

I added about 1/4 cup of sugar to the entire batch of applesauce, and it really didn't even need that! That's all there is to it! I really thought it would be so much more complicated, but it was pleasantly easy. I divided the batch up into quart size bags and put them in the freezer for easy grabbing. Thaw a baggy in some hot water for a few minutes, cut off the corner of the baggy, and squeeze into a bowl. Voila!

Ellie doesn't like store bought applesauce (the rest are okay with it), but I was happy to find that she really does like the homemade stuff! It's probably because the homemade version has far more flavor than what you can find on a store shelf. We have breakfast for dinner once a week (easy and cheap!), and the applesauce is a really nice addition. Sean even uses it in place of syrup on his waffles!

Every now and again, I decide to tackle a new project just to keep my creativity alive. Generally, I combine my new project with an attempt at saving money too.

Our CSA (community supported agriculture) sent us apples in a couple of our recent produce bags. Lots and lots of apples. So many apples that we couldn't eat through all of them before they went bad.

So I decided that this was a good opportunity to learn how to make applesauce!

Our friends, Sarah and Wendell, make applesauce every year, so I asked Sarah for a few pointers prior to getting started. She gave me the run down on how to do it and offered to let me use her applesauce maker thingy (my name for it, not hers.)

It actually turned out to be super easy and fun! I think this will be a great project to involve the kids in in the future!

Lots of fresh apples, all rinsed and ready to go!

Any variety and combination of apples can be used. For this batch, I used 9 lbs of Jonathan apples and 3 lbs of Golden Delicious apples.

Cut each apple into quarters. No need to core or peel them!

And dump them all into a big roasting pan...skins, seeds, and all!

At this point, you can cook them until soft one of two ways:

I baked mine on the bottom rack in the oven for several hours. I didn't add any extra water because apples have quite a bit of water content on their own. I was doing some other baking at the time, so it didn't require extra energy to do it this way. I gave the apples a quick stir a few times just to make sure that they were cooking evenly. Once they were mushy, I knew that they were done.

Another option is to boil them for 20 minutes or so until they are soft. If you add water to your roasting pan and turn on both burners underneath it, you can boil them that way. Or if you have a large stockpot, that will work as well. Next time, I'll probably go this route since it's quicker.

Soft, mushy apples.

Once they have cooled a bit, you are ready to turn them into applesauce!

This is the nifty applesauce maker thingy that I borrowed. It's the most fun I've had with a kitchen gadget since Sean gave me my Kitchen Aid Mixer last Christmas!

B2B Food Strainer & Sauce Maker

Check this out!

The mushy apples go in the top container.

And then all you have to do is turn the crank! The apples funnel down into a cylinder that separates the apple skins, seeds, and stems from the apple flesh.

All of the apple guts come out and dump into a bowl...

And all of the strained and pureed apples pour into another bowl!

I added about 1/4 cup of sugar to the entire batch of applesauce, and it really didn't even need that! That's all there is to it! I really thought it would be so much more complicated, but it was pleasantly easy. I divided the batch up into quart size bags and put them in the freezer for easy grabbing. Thaw a baggy in some hot water for a few minutes, cut off the corner of the baggy, and squeeze into a bowl. Voila!

Ellie doesn't like store bought applesauce (the rest are okay with it), but I was happy to find that she really does like the homemade stuff! It's probably because the homemade version has far more flavor than what you can find on a store shelf. We have breakfast for dinner once a week (easy and cheap!), and the applesauce is a really nice addition. Sean even uses it in place of syrup on his waffles!

How to Leave a Blog Comment

It totally cracks me up that I'm writing a post about this topic! But I love a good laugh, so thought I'd share one with you as well!

This is a conversation that I had recently with two 50-ish year old friends. They are both very dear to me, and I'd like them to stay that way, so I'll use initials to represent each of them:

L: I tried four times to put a comment on your blog, and it wouldn't let me!
R: Me either!
Becca: L, you did leave a comment on the blog. And it's pretty easy to do...
L: It made me open a google email to leave one.
Becca: ...you didn't just use the "anonymous" option?
R: What "anonymous" option?
Becca: *pulls up the blog and scrolls to the comment section of the last post* See this little drop down that says, "Comment As"? Click the drop down and choose either "anonymous" or "name/url". Either way, you can leave a comment without having a google account or blog.
L: What's a URL? That sounds like a urinary test.

The conversation just continued from there as I'm sure you can imagine. I think they get how to leave a comment now, but I would hate for someone else to be frustrated by this or miss out on a giveaway just because they were unsure how to do it. In the event that anyone else is struggling with this, I have a fun little tutorial below.

Basic? Oh, yes. But we all have to start somewhere! :)

When you want to leave a comment on a blog, you generally have options. The bloggers who own their sites can set different restrictions on who can comment. In the case of my blog, the content is public as is the ability to comment.

What you see when you scroll down to the comment section of a post:

Besides commenting with your Google Account, here are your options in the drop down box:

-LiveJournal
-WordPress
-TypePad
If you choose any of these options, you need to have a registered account with one of these blogging platforms. If you don't have a blog, then you can't use those options. And if you do have a blog, you probably know how to leave a comment at this point. Basically, you type in your blog address and click "continue." If you have further questions about this option, leave a comment (using one of the other options) and ask! :-)

-AIM
This option allows you to use your AIM account to comment. AIM is like Yahoo or Google. You can send email with it or instant message friends. I actually don't know many people who use it, but if you do, you can certainly choose that option when leaving a comment.

-OpenID
This is kind of a nifty idea. OpenID is a website that lets you create one account that essentially vouches for you on other sites. Instead of having to log into a bunch of different sites every time you visit, you log into OpenID, and it tells whatever sites you visit that you are who you say you are. You can start an OpenID account if you are interested and use that to leave a comment on our site.

-Name/URL
If you choose this option, you can simply type in your name and a URL that you use. A URL is another name for a web address. You know that stuff you type in the window at the top of your screen to go to a new spot on the internet? That is a URL. Right now, your URL should say something that includes "abeautifulruckus" because you needed to use that address to find this post.

What if you don't have a URL? No problem! Just leave that part blank! Type in your comment, choose Name/URL, type in your name only, and click "Publish." So easy! Then I know who you are when you leave your comment!

-Anonymous
Let's say you really don't want to give your name because you are either a super private or a creepy person. Then type your comment, choose "Anonymous", and click "Publish." I will never know who you are unless you include your name in the actual comment field. But I love knowing who is leaving comments, so please leave your name unless you are super private. And if you are creepy, get off of my website. :-)

This is by far the easiest option because all you do is type and hit "publish." A word of caution though, if you are leaving a comment as an entry into one of the giveaways on our blog, make sure you include your first name and the first letter of your last name in the comment field. I have to be able to connect the entry to you on my end!

One last thing! I monitor and approve every single comment that appears on my site. We have had some not-so-nice things said on our blog about us and the number of children that we have. Everyone is certainly allowed to have their own opinions...and I'm definitely allowed to control what is on our site! With that being said, when you submit a comment, it will not appear immediately on the site. You should get a little notice that says it is "awaiting moderation." As soon as I read it, I hit "publish" on my end and it becomes visible on the blog.

SO, please leave a comment anytime! I love getting them, and try really hard to respond to all of them. Just keep it friendly! :)

P.S. The Fall Photography Giveaway Package through Salt and Light Photography is rocking! Have you entered yet? Don't forget that you can share on FaceBook or tweet daily for extra entries!

It totally cracks me up that I'm writing a post about this topic! But I love a good laugh, so thought I'd share one with you as well!

This is a conversation that I had recently with two 50-ish year old friends. They are both very dear to me, and I'd like them to stay that way, so I'll use initials to represent each of them:

L: I tried four times to put a comment on your blog, and it wouldn't let me!
R: Me either!
Becca: L, you did leave a comment on the blog. And it's pretty easy to do...
L: It made me open a google email to leave one.
Becca: ...you didn't just use the "anonymous" option?
R: What "anonymous" option?
Becca: *pulls up the blog and scrolls to the comment section of the last post* See this little drop down that says, "Comment As"? Click the drop down and choose either "anonymous" or "name/url". Either way, you can leave a comment without having a google account or blog.
L: What's a URL? That sounds like a urinary test.

The conversation just continued from there as I'm sure you can imagine. I think they get how to leave a comment now, but I would hate for someone else to be frustrated by this or miss out on a giveaway just because they were unsure how to do it. In the event that anyone else is struggling with this, I have a fun little tutorial below.

Basic? Oh, yes. But we all have to start somewhere! :)

When you want to leave a comment on a blog, you generally have options. The bloggers who own their sites can set different restrictions on who can comment. In the case of my blog, the content is public as is the ability to comment.

What you see when you scroll down to the comment section of a post:

Besides commenting with your Google Account, here are your options in the drop down box:

-LiveJournal
-WordPress
-TypePad
If you choose any of these options, you need to have a registered account with one of these blogging platforms. If you don't have a blog, then you can't use those options. And if you do have a blog, you probably know how to leave a comment at this point. Basically, you type in your blog address and click "continue." If you have further questions about this option, leave a comment (using one of the other options) and ask! :-)

-AIM
This option allows you to use your AIM account to comment. AIM is like Yahoo or Google. You can send email with it or instant message friends. I actually don't know many people who use it, but if you do, you can certainly choose that option when leaving a comment.

-OpenID
This is kind of a nifty idea. OpenID is a website that lets you create one account that essentially vouches for you on other sites. Instead of having to log into a bunch of different sites every time you visit, you log into OpenID, and it tells whatever sites you visit that you are who you say you are. You can start an OpenID account if you are interested and use that to leave a comment on our site.

-Name/URL
If you choose this option, you can simply type in your name and a URL that you use. A URL is another name for a web address. You know that stuff you type in the window at the top of your screen to go to a new spot on the internet? That is a URL. Right now, your URL should say something that includes "abeautifulruckus" because you needed to use that address to find this post.

What if you don't have a URL? No problem! Just leave that part blank! Type in your comment, choose Name/URL, type in your name only, and click "Publish." So easy! Then I know who you are when you leave your comment!

-Anonymous
Let's say you really don't want to give your name because you are either a super private or a creepy person. Then type your comment, choose "Anonymous", and click "Publish." I will never know who you are unless you include your name in the actual comment field. But I love knowing who is leaving comments, so please leave your name unless you are super private. And if you are creepy, get off of my website. :-)

This is by far the easiest option because all you do is type and hit "publish." A word of caution though, if you are leaving a comment as an entry into one of the giveaways on our blog, make sure you include your first name and the first letter of your last name in the comment field. I have to be able to connect the entry to you on my end!

One last thing! I monitor and approve every single comment that appears on my site. We have had some not-so-nice things said on our blog about us and the number of children that we have. Everyone is certainly allowed to have their own opinions...and I'm definitely allowed to control what is on our site! With that being said, when you submit a comment, it will not appear immediately on the site. You should get a little notice that says it is "awaiting moderation." As soon as I read it, I hit "publish" on my end and it becomes visible on the blog.

SO, please leave a comment anytime! I love getting them, and try really hard to respond to all of them. Just keep it friendly! :)

P.S. The Fall Photography Giveaway Package through Salt and Light Photography is rocking! Have you entered yet? Don't forget that you can share on FaceBook or tweet daily for extra entries!

How to Organize Everyday Things With Multiples

We live in a pretty small house. It's about 1200 square feet. Sean signed the paperwork to purchase it on Valentine's Day, the month before we were married. It was my first Valentine's Day with a guy, and he gave me a house (which I waited until after we were married to move into). How sweet is that?

We picked it out together thinking that it would be the perfect spot to live for a few years before starting a family. The original game plan was: be married for three years, have a baby, maybe have a second baby, then move, then have another baby or two.

Our game plan always makes me think of the passage, "In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." -Proverbs 16:9

Gee...ya think??

Now we are six living in a tight starter home with no foreseeable plans to move anytime in the near future.

Actually, it's not all that bad, because as I keep telling Sean, the bigger the house, the more there is to clean. I definitely do not have time to clean a bigger house! But the space problem can definitely become an issue some days.

So we have discovered that the best way to create more space is to go UP.

This is what our dining room looks like. On the left hand side of the photo, you can see the corner of our kitchen table. We bought two 4-tier racks from Walmart along with some plastic sterilite bins to keep things in.

The left rack holds all of their clothing. The boys have six bins and the girls have six bins. We do keep a few jackets and the girls' fancier dresses in their closet, but everything else is here.

Each bin is labeled with the gender and exactly what is in it. This way, I can tell at a glance where to go for a particular article of clothing. It also makes it pretty obvious when I should do the laundry. That and the pile of dirty kids' clothes that seem to materialize out of nowhere.

On the other rack, we have some bins for things that I need to access on a fairly regular basis.

The top shelf has what I like to call a "Special Box" for each of them. My mom did something similar while we were growing up, so I've continued the tradition. It contains lots of firsts: first Halloween costume, first birthday candle, first outfit, micro-preemie diapers, and other special items that were made specifically for them or have significant meaning. Since we are still experiencing lots of firsts, I'm adding to them often. It's easiest if I can keep them handy so that their stuff doesn't pile up.

The next shelf holds baby cereal, crackers, a plastic drawer set for hair bows and hats, and a box with paper and pens for notes so I'm not scrambling when I need to write down a brilliant idea, or more often, a list of things to remember. Pregnancy Brain has turned into Mommy Brain.

Bottles, burp cloths, bibs, bottle parts, and miscellaneous supplies like thermometers and those snot balls (I'm sure there is a more high tech name like "bulb syringe", but my name is way more fun!) go on the next shelf.

The bottom shelf has a plethora of formula, baby food, and light jackets for everyday use.

Bins, bins, bins!

Now you know how we do it! The labels I used for the bins were something free that I found online here. Just download them, print them out, and write on it!

With a little creativity, it is possible to have a semi-organized space in a small house. It certainly does not always look this way, but if you catch it on the right day it's a good calm sliver of space in my house. Thank goodness, because messiness drives me crazy. That's the other thing that God is teaching me: He has the best game plan in the end...and I need to be okay with some chaos. I'm sure I'll have a post about that in future!

We live in a pretty small house. It's about 1200 square feet. Sean signed the paperwork to purchase it on Valentine's Day, the month before we were married. It was my first Valentine's Day with a guy, and he gave me a house (which I waited until after we were married to move into). How sweet is that?

We picked it out together thinking that it would be the perfect spot to live for a few years before starting a family. The original game plan was: be married for three years, have a baby, maybe have a second baby, then move, then have another baby or two.

Our game plan always makes me think of the passage, "In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." -Proverbs 16:9

Gee...ya think??

Now we are six living in a tight starter home with no foreseeable plans to move anytime in the near future.

Actually, it's not all that bad, because as I keep telling Sean, the bigger the house, the more there is to clean. I definitely do not have time to clean a bigger house! But the space problem can definitely become an issue some days.

So we have discovered that the best way to create more space is to go UP.

This is what our dining room looks like. On the left hand side of the photo, you can see the corner of our kitchen table. We bought two 4-tier racks from Walmart along with some plastic sterilite bins to keep things in.

The left rack holds all of their clothing. The boys have six bins and the girls have six bins. We do keep a few jackets and the girls' fancier dresses in their closet, but everything else is here.

Each bin is labeled with the gender and exactly what is in it. This way, I can tell at a glance where to go for a particular article of clothing. It also makes it pretty obvious when I should do the laundry. That and the pile of dirty kids' clothes that seem to materialize out of nowhere.

On the other rack, we have some bins for things that I need to access on a fairly regular basis.

The top shelf has what I like to call a "Special Box" for each of them. My mom did something similar while we were growing up, so I've continued the tradition. It contains lots of firsts: first Halloween costume, first birthday candle, first outfit, micro-preemie diapers, and other special items that were made specifically for them or have significant meaning. Since we are still experiencing lots of firsts, I'm adding to them often. It's easiest if I can keep them handy so that their stuff doesn't pile up.

The next shelf holds baby cereal, crackers, a plastic drawer set for hair bows and hats, and a box with paper and pens for notes so I'm not scrambling when I need to write down a brilliant idea, or more often, a list of things to remember. Pregnancy Brain has turned into Mommy Brain.

Bottles, burp cloths, bibs, bottle parts, and miscellaneous supplies like thermometers and those snot balls (I'm sure there is a more high tech name like "bulb syringe", but my name is way more fun!) go on the next shelf.

The bottom shelf has a plethora of formula, baby food, and light jackets for everyday use.

Bins, bins, bins!

Now you know how we do it! The labels I used for the bins were something free that I found online here. Just download them, print them out, and write on it!

With a little creativity, it is possible to have a semi-organized space in a small house. It certainly does not always look this way, but if you catch it on the right day it's a good calm sliver of space in my house. Thank goodness, because messiness drives me crazy. That's the other thing that God is teaching me: He has the best game plan in the end...and I need to be okay with some chaos. I'm sure I'll have a post about that in future!