How to Get Kids' Undies Clean after a Potty Training Accident

When my oldest was potty training, I could not figure out how to get his clothes smelling clean after an accident. You know those really icky poo accidents that leave you thinking, "these clothes are NEVER going to smell right again!" I tried doing hot washes with tons of detergent and bleach. But you know what happened? Not only did the clothes still smell nasty afterward, but then they had bleach stains to go along. Then there were the times when a clothing item were so gross that I wouldn't even bother trying to wash them. I would just toss them into the trash because I was convinced I could never get them clean.

Things changed when I started cloth diapering, though. I learned how to get the most disgusting diarrhea covered diapers REALLY clean and smelling okay again! I realized that if I could get diapers clean after such iciness, then surely I could get potty training undies clean too.

Here's what I do now to get even the nastiest of potty training undies clean:

1. Shake poo off of undies and into potty as best as you can.
2. Toss soiled clothes into washing machine and set water level at HIGH
3. Do a COLD rinse
4. Wash on HOT using detergent. Don't overdue it on the detergent, though. It takes a lot less than you'd think to get the clothes clean
5. Do an additional HOT rinse if clothes had been heavily soiled- i.e. poo that didn't come off all the way before throwing undies in wash. If desired, add a couple drops of lavender essential oil into rinse cycle.
   

That's it! Just dry your child's underwear and clothes the way you normally do. You should find them looking and smelling clean again! This wash routine is the same method I use to wash my cloth diapers.

Now when an accident comes up, I just throw the dirty duds into my dry diaper pail along with the diapers and wash them within 48 hours or so. I wish someone had told me how to get potty training accidents clean 4 1/2 years ago- I wouldn't have had to replace underwear and shorts as often!

Feet Swelling During Pregnancy

When I became pregnant with my first child in 2003, my feet and ankles started to swell up like crazy and looked as though they belonged on someone elses body!
Take this photo for example- this is what my feet looked like at 38 weeks pregnant:

The swelling was just absolutely crazy with my first baby. I've had 3 more children (including a late July baby) since and not once have my feet swollen up even close to the way they did with my first baby! In the photos below, the picture on the left is from 38 weeks pregnant with my first baby, and the picture on the right is what my feet look like now.

















How about you? Have your feet or ankles swollen much during pregnancy? Did they swell worse during one pregnancy than another?

trying to do the technorati thing...

and now my site is confirmed. I'm not quite sure how it works, but Adventures in Diapering is now listed with Technorati. You can add this blog to your Technorati favorites by clicking the link on the right side of this page.

If any of you have pointers or advice regarding any of this new (to me) blog/social networking stuff, feel free to leave it in a comment!

Fun Craft for Preschoolers: I Spy Window Art

Looking for a fun inside craft project to do with your toddler and preschool aged children? Try making I Spy window art! I found the idea for this craft while visiting the library. The library had these pictures up in the windows that visiting children had made. The pictures looked so cool with the sun shining through them that I knew I had to try something like that with my own kids!

What you need:
*clear contact paper
*construction paper
*scissors
*feathers, various sequins, paper clips, colored tissue paper, ect.

All you do is cut a sheet of contact paper to about the size of a place mat. Pull the backing off and lay the contact paper sticky side up on a table.

Fill bowls with sequins, feathers, and feathers

Have children choose objects from the bowls to stick to the sticky contact paper. If they would like a hand print on their picture, simply trace their hand, have them cut it out, and then let them stick it to their contact paper.

This was VERY easy. My children made the window art during my 4 year old's recent "Stopped Sucking My Thumb Party" earlier this week. The kids all enjoyed being creative and getting a chance to go wild with dumping out sequins. Even my 19 month old made one of these pictures!

Once the child is done making his/her picture, cut a second sheet of contact paper around the same size as the sheet your child has been working on. Peel off the backing and stick to the child's picture. Using your hand, press down on the middle of the picture and push towards the edges of the picture to get out some of the air bubbles.

All that's left to do is hang up the picture in the window, or you could even use it as a place mat!

Looking for more fun things to do with your kids? Here's a list of 100 ideas to get you started!
*Activities 1-25
*Activities 26-50
*Activities 51-75
*Activities 76-100

Wooden Play Food Giveaway!

Contest is now closed

Interested in winning free environmentally friendly (and fun) toys for your children? All Modern Baby is giving away both a Wonderworld Fruity Basket Play Food AND a Wonderworld Vegetable Basket Play Food to one reader of this blog! What makes these play food sets so cool?

• Children can have fun pretending to cut open the play food with an included wooden knife. Velcro makes the veggies stick back together as whole again afterward.
  

• Also, these play food sets are made from environmentally friendly rubberwood and non-toxic water-based paints.
  

They come from All Modern Baby, a company who has some really cool eco-friendly children's items and toys. They also have the Stokke Tripp Trapp high chairs that children can use from 6 months up through the teen years and beyond!



How to enter the giveaway:

• Leave a comment on this post with why you would like to win the fruit and veggie play food sets.
  

*For extra entries you can do any of the following (each through a seperate comment):

• Become a follower of Adventures in Diapering
• Blog about the giveaway and include a link back to this contest
  
• Add my button to your blog (code can be found on right side of page)
• Leave a comment of why you like reading Adventures in Diapering
• Visit Allmodernbaby.com and tell me about a product you like from their site

Contest Rules:

♥Contest ends Tuesday, June 30 at 11pm Central Time
♥Winner will be determined randomly using random.org
♥Winner MUST either have their e-mail address on their profile, or leave their e-mail address with their comment
♥I will announce the winner of the giveaway on July 1 on this blog as well as through e-mail to the winner. If I do not receive a response within 48 hours, I will randomly choose a new winner.

In Photos: What to Expect During a C-Section

If you're getting ready for a c-section, here is what it may be like.:

On the day of your babies birth, you will be asked to arrive 2 hours before your c-section is actually scheduled to start. During that time you will be monitored, prepped, and get a chance to talk with the doctors and nurses who will be performing the c-section.

Around the time your cesarean is scheduled to start, you will walk (or be wheeled if you prefer) to the operating room. During this time, your husband or birth partner will dress into scrubs and will wait outside the operating room as the anesthesiologist does your spinal.

A nurse will insert your catheter and hook up a ton of wires to your chest. Your legs start to feel heavy quickly, and before long you may not feel them at all (or at least feel no pain). A sheet is then set up to shield you from the view of your operation.

Your husband enters the O.R. and sits upon a stool next to you, (behind the screen as well). Behind you is your anesthesiologist who is carefully watching your monitors and making sure you are doing well.

As your operation begins, you will hear casual conversation between the doctors and nurses about all kinds of things. You probably won't even realize that they have already started operating on you!

About 5-7 minutes after your husband joins your side, you start to feel some weight on your belly, like someone is sitting on you.

Your nurse tells you you're going to feel some pressure (too late), and you might utter an "ow!" but it's at that moment that your baby is pulled out and you will probably hear her cries. You may feel a huge relief as the baby's weight is no longer pushing on your ribs, but you will probably feel no pain.

Your doctor may suction the baby's mouth before she's pulled out of the womb, and will then hold her up so you can see her.

Your baby is then taken over to the baby warmer where she will be suctioned again and may receive some oxygen to help her pinken up a little.She will then be weighed, measured, foot printed, and given a vitamin K shot (and possibly Hep. B unless you sign a waiver). Your husband can most likely stand next to baby and hold her hand as she's being attended to.

While your baby is being cleaned up, you may start shaking. Let your anesthesiologist know how you're feeling so they can reassure you everything is normal and so they will know how to best help you feel better. If you find yourself nervous or shaking badly, you may find that a warm blanket across your shoulders helps you relax a little.

After what feels like an hour, (but is really only 15-20 minutes), baby is diapered, swaddled and finally brought over to you to see. If you're feeling well enough, you may even be able to hold your baby as the doctor is finishing your stitches. Baby may cry, or she may just fall back asleep.

About 30 minutes or so after your baby was born, the doctor is done stitching you up and you're ready to go back to your room (or recovery). My husband and I have captured a family photo on film during this time.

Having a c-section isn't pleasant, but eventually it's over and you and Baby are recovering and starting your new life together as a family.

*C-Section routines very depending on the hospital, state, and even country. My experiences are based on 1 unexpected c-section after laboring, and 3 cesareans that were scheduled. All 4 (now 5) of my c-sections were performed in the United States.

Shark Attack Cupcakes!

Recently my 4 year old gave up sucking his thumb. To celebrate, I promised him a party complete with decorated cupcakes. The cupcake design of his choice? Sharks. I found the directions for how to make these cupcakes in the book Hello Cupcake.

I decorated shark, life preservers, and octopus cupcakes. Mine didn't turn out quite as cute as the ones in the book, but I think my son will love them anyway (he's not picky about his sweets).

My husband found the octopuses at the grocery store and I thought they were perfect to go with the sharks. I stuck them on cupcakes, added some eyes, and voila'! Very easy!

Of course, not all the cupcakes survived the decorating process. There were a few casualties.

The story behind the "Stopped Sucking My Thumb Party": Helping My Son Stop Sucking His Thumb.

For more cupcake fun, check out: Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make

Messy Summer Fun: Making White Mud

What child doesn't love to tear up toilet paper and get dirty? As much as my kids love to destroy things, I figured making white mud would be a fun summer activity. I found the idea for white mud from Family Fun magazine years ago, but had never tried making it. Last week, I decided it was time to give it a try and get messy!

It started out pretty innocent- just tearing up toilet paper and throwing it into an empty plastic sandbox.
We used a cheese grater and grated up a little more than half a bar of ivory soap to the toilet paper, than gradually added in 6 cups of water. My children started squishing and squashing it with their hands to get it mixed up well.
All that was left was to have fun! The kids loved putting their hands (and feet) into the mess. It kept my boys entertained for a little over half an hour, and the girls for about 45 minutes.
I'll warn you that this can be quite a clean-up. It takes quite a bit of water to dilute the white mud enough to get it off of your patio, grass, and children. However, the kids are SUPER clean afterward and have a lovely Ivory smell the rest of the day!For more Summer Fun ideas with your kids, check here.

Pregnancy Rash: PUPPPS

When I was 36-37 weeks pregnant with my first son, I started having a lot of itching under my belly button. With all the stretching my belly had done, I figured itching was pretty normal. However, every day the itching got worse.

After a week, the itching was no longer isolated to my belly, but on the back of my thighs, up the behind really really bad, and up my entire back! My entire backside went from a red rash to being covered in what looked like welts! The itching from the rash was worse than Chicken Pox or anything else I had ever experienced. It was miserable trying to sleep (along with the normal discomforts of pregnancy), and it was especially bad when I would get hot or sweaty. It was in the 100's the week before I had my son, so you can imagine how uncomfortable I was!

The picture below shows part of the rash on my back. The picture doesn't do the rash justice.
*The right side of this photo was cropped off to fit another photo next to it in my scrapbook.

When I went into see the doctor, he told me the itchy rash was caused by pregnancy. He gave me a cream to try and said once my baby was born, the rash would go away. Over the next week, my rash continued to get worse and spread more. Nothing I tried would help with the itching. It just continued to spread more and more.

By the time I hit 38 1/2 weeks, my doctor suggested an induction. Knowing that my baby was large (he had been 5lbs at 32 weeks) and feeling like I was going to loose it from all the itching, I decided to go along with the induction. I was so excited to meet my baby and was happy that there would be relief in sight.
I was induced at 39 1/2 weeks. Lying in bed during labor, sweating like crazy with that rash across my entire backside drove me nuts. It was awful. Sweat and itchy rashes are not a good combination!

Sure enough, after my baby was born the rash started to go away. After a week, the rash was completely gone.

What was this pregnancy rash that I had? I believe it was Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy, or PUPPPS. From what I've read, it's not very common- only 1% of pregnant women end up with PUPPPS. PUPPPS occurs more often with women who are expecting a boy and is more common with first pregnancies and pregnancies of multiples.

I was scared I would end up with the rash when I pregnant with my 2nd. son a year later, but I never had more than regular itching. I never had the PUPPPS come back with the pregnancies of my daughters either.

Have you or anyone you know ever experienced PUPPPS? If so, were you expecting a boy? What did you do to soothe the itching?

Photographing Your Children: Try Turning off the Flash

Notice the difference between the two pictures below. The one on the left was with a flash, and the one on the right was done without a flash. No editing other than cropping was done on either photo. The photo without the flash is much softer and in my opinion, more pleasant to look at.















I usually use auto-flash when taking everyday photos, but when the natural lighting is right, I try to turn the flash off.

Do you use a flash when taking pictures of your kids?
If you've never taken portraits of your child without a flash, you should give it a try!

*edited version above*

My Children are Human Alarm Clocks

Every morning of every day, my boys wake up by 6am. Some days, like today, they are up at 5:45am. It doesn't matter whether they went to bed at 7pm or 10pm, they wake up at the crack of dawn anyway. I've stopped setting an alarm clock even on days when we have to be somewhere early in the morning. I have no need of an alarm when I know my children will wake me up before 7am!

What's the problem with little children waking up early in the morning after going to bed late? The problem is that they are then VERY VERY cranky way before it's time to go to bed. It makes for a very high tension afternoon.

Do your kids sleep in if they go to bed late? Do they wake you up, or do you get them up?

PB & Honey Sandwiches

Our family often has sandwiches for lunch. It wasn't until about a year ago that a friend told me about using honey instead of jelly. I had never heard of this before, but decided to give it a try. It's actually very good!

My children love PB & J, but the honey version is nice for something different. If you like taking sandwiches out for hiking, road trips, try this link for a version of PB & Honey that doesn't get soggy on the road or in your child's lunch box.

What kind of sandwiches do your children love best?

Confessions of a Cloth Diapering Mom

* Toddler poo grosses me out. I had no problem with changing dirty diapers until my babies hit 13 months. Then something happens to their digestive system and the poo is like gritty sand. It just sticks to their rears like glue. Not only does it not want to come off of my baby, but it doesn't come off the diaper easily either. Ewww!!!

* I regret some of my cloth diaper purchases If I could do things over, I would buy more Fuzzi Bunz & Prowraps. Most of my other diapers have either lost their "stickiness" in their Velcro, wick out the sides, or never kept my baby dry from the start.

* I have saved a lot of money by using cloth. I had 2 kids in diapers for several years, but it wasn't until last year that I made the switch. Putting both my daughters in cloth paid for itself within 5 months.

* Sometimes my daughter wears a disposable diaper. There are times when it's worth the 15 cents to use a disposable so when we got out I don't have to haul poo home in a bag.

* Swishing diapers in the toilet makes me nauseous My husband is planning to make a diaper sprayer eventually, so that should help. However, if we have another baby, I plan to try out disposable liners once he/she is a toddler!

* I think cloth diapering is fun. The Bum Genius, Fuzzi Bunz, and Happy Heiney's covers are so cute and colorful! Much more fun than a disposable!

* There's something rewarding in sticking my baby in a cloth diaper and knowing it can be reused when she's done with it!

If you're a mom of the cloth, fess up! What confessions do you have about cloth diapering?

Best Board Games for Kids!

I love to play board games. Thankfully, I married a guy that loves games and we now have 4 little children who love to play them too.

In case you're looking for ideas of games to try with your kids, here are some of the best games our family has found:

Fun Games for Children 4 & Up:

Dog Eat Hotdog
Candy Land
Monopoly Junior
Don't Break the Ice
Trouble
Clue
Uno
Checkers
Chess
Sorry
Life
Scrambled States of America
Hungry, Hungry Hippos

Our Favorite Games for Grown-Ups and Kids Ages 8 & Up:

Card Games:
Rummy
Canasta
Bridge
Pinochle
Sets (this one is really fun!!!)

Board Games:
Risk
Monopoly
Yahtzee
Racko
Sequence
Careers
Boggle
Othello

♥I'm always looking for new fun card or board games to try out. If you have a favorite that's not on my list, let me know!

I am a Human Jungle Gym

It never fails, whenever I lie down on the floor, this is what happens:

And then pretty soon this:

And this:

It's official: my children think I am a jungle gym.

Decorating my Daughters' Room: Making the Walls Sparkly

Our family recently moved into a new home. One of the first things I did when we moved in was paint the kids' rooms.

I decided I wanted the walls to sparkle in the girls' room. After painting the walls a bubble gum pink, I shook some very fine glitter into my hand and threw it at different spots on the walls. I made sure the paint was wet when I threw the glitter.
I didn't think it would stick at first, because when the paint was tacky, the glitter would fall off if touched. However, once the paint dried, the glitter stuck great! I didn't put glitter everywhere, but I did make sparkly spots throughout the room. The picture below doesn't do the glitter justice. You can really see the glitter when you're sitting down on the floor- kid eye-level.

We went with faux wood blinds on the window as well as a valance from Carousel Designs. Carousel Designs has some beautiful room decor and girls' crib bedding. If you are looking for custom crib bedding, you might want to check out their site as I heard they will be doing a giveaway with their custom crib bedding sometime next month!

The room is just big enough for both my girls' beds, a doll house, and my daughters' baby doll cribs. I would like to paint a mural of some sorts eventually- perhaps a trellis, or even their names. I'm up for suggestions, so if you have a great idea of what I could paint on the walls, let me know!

Here are my girls enjoying their new room!

Fun Meals for Kids: Garlic Ham and Cheese Pinwheels!

Here's a fun recipe our family tried yesterday: Garlic Ham & Cheese Pinwheels. I have to say, they were very good! I made them myself today, but they're easy enough to make that I would probably let some of my children do the assembly part next time.

Here are instructions on how to make these easy and fun sandwiches:

What you need:

• Burrito-Sized Tortillas
• Ham and/or Turkey Deli Meat
• Sliced Cheese
• Ranch Dressing
• Minced Garlic

*Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spread a Tablespoon of Ranch Dressing all over a tortilla.
Spoon a little bit of Minced Garlic onto tortilla and spread it out.

Next, lay deli meat slices across the entire tortilla. I used 5 to cover each tortilla.
Tear up a slice of cheese and lay it on top of the meat vertically (as pictured below) on one side of the tortilla.
Start rolling the tortilla up on the side with the cheese (so the cheese will be in the middle). Spread a little more ranch dressing across the top of the tortilla as you start to roll so that it will stick better. Roll tightly.
Set on a baking pan with the end of the rolling down against the pan.
Continue making as many roll-ups as you think your family will eat.
Once you have enough made, Bake at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes, or just long enough to get heated all the way through and slightly crispy on the outside.Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.
Using a serrated knife, slice the roll ups into 1/2 inch- 3/4 inch thickness until you have all the roll ups sliced into pinwheels.

That's it! Serve and enjoy!

Severe Weather Warnings

In the midwest, severe weather is a part of life. You learn to expect tornado warnings at least a couple times every spring.

Last night I decided to search to find a text messaging alert for severe weather, that way I can be prepared even when I don't have access to our weather radio or TV.

If you are interested in receiving free text alerts on your cell phone when there's severe weather too, you can sign up here: http://www.weatherusa.net/alerts/ . The messages are free as long as you have free texting service through your cell phone provider. You can be notified of specific types of warnings (flash flood, thunderstorm, tornado, ect.), and you can set it up to notify you of warnings for several counties.

What does your family do to be prepared for severe weather?

Sunday Rerun: Tips for a Great C-Section Recovery!

Originally posted on Monday, December 15, 2008

Tips for a Great C-Section Recovery!

*Enlist help! Have your husband, mom, or best friend to you stay with you your first week after giving birth. Let them help with the laundry and meals and try not to stress if your house isn't perfect that first month. If you have other children, make sure you have someone on hand to help with them for the first couple weeks as you try to take it easy.

*Drink lots of fluids- expecially if you're breastfeeding!

*Have your baby sleep next to your bed in an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper. If you don't have a co-sleeper bed, you can use a pack and play set up close to your bed. This makes it easy for the mid-night feedings as you can nurse baby in bed, put her back in her close by bed, then fall back to sleep.

*If you start bleeding heavier than before, get off your feet! Your body lets you know when you're doing too much. So, if your flow increases or you start cramping up more, then take a break and lay down. Try to avoid too much walking around during the first few weeks post-pardom!

*Breastfeed, even if it takes a while for your milk to come in- if you have to supplement, ask your doctor for a syringe with a tube attatched. You fill the syringe, latch baby on, and then put the end of the tube into Baby's mouth. As the baby suckles, you slowly push the milk into baby's mouth. This method has worked great for me with two of my children who had to supplement for a week or two. My milk eventually came in and we were able to continue breastfeeding for 11 1/2- 12 months!

*If anyone asks to bring you a meal, say "yes"! If you have a ton of meals already, then just freeze it!

*Don't be afraid to take pain medicines when you're hurting! If you don't want to do the heavy duty stuff, but are in pain, then at least take some Tylenol or Ibuprofen (if your doctor allows). Being in a lot of pain can cause it to take longer for you to heal, not to mention make it harder for you to spend quality time with your newborn.

*Don't let the fact that you had a C-Section get you down! Some of us let whether or not we had the birth we dreamed of us affect how we feel as a mother. It's good to think about how we might do things differently next time, but in doing so, be carefull not to let disapointment consume you. Instead of focusing on what you could have/should have/wished had happened, remember what really matters now is how you live every day as a mom. The way your baby came into this world lasted only a minute, but being your child's mother will last a lifetime.

Sister Love

My daughters love playing together. Earlier this evening I found them sitting together on a fold-up love seat and decided to capture the moment on film.

They were having a great time until one of them decided to hug the other/knock her sister over a little too much. Hitting and biting attempts followed. Everything ended with smiles and nicer hugs.

By the way, I have had great success at finding cute and affordable dresses at Target and Wal-mart this year. Especially the knit kind. I had a really hard time finding dresses last year, so I was thrilled to see that comfy dresses were so in style this year! If you know of anywhere else that has sweet affordable dresses for little girls, let me know! I'll be looking for long-sleve ones this Winter.

Laundry Overload!

It started off as one load of laundry, only a basketful. Then I put it off, and it grew, and grew, and GREW! Now I'm stuck with a gigantic pile of maybe 10 loads that I need to fold. Today I spent 10 minutes searching for one pair of underwear!

Isn't life like this, though? We're faced with a small problem that would be easy to handle if we just take the time to deal with it.

Instead, we put it off to work on it later. The problem continues to grow bigger and bigger until it's a huge mess that seems almost impossible to deal with. We wonder, "why didn't I deal with this problem while it was still small instead of putting it off and letting it become an overwhelming mess?"

Here are 2 things I've learned from this experience:

1. Don't put off today's troubles for tomorrow, because the problems will only grow larger.

2. I need to buy more underwear so I don't have to search 10 minutes through a mountain of laundry to find 1 pair!

By the way, would anyone like to fold all this laundry for me?

Kids Fall Asleep in the WEIRDEST Ways!

Kids seem to be able to fall asleep anywhere and in just about any position. For example, the past 2 nights my girls have fallen asleep with their bedroom light on. The room was bright, and still they managed to sleep for over an hour before I realized it was on!

Some other weird positions my children have fallen asleep are in the highchair, the doorway jumper (I guess they wore themselves out jumping), and in the hallway to their bedrooms (somehow they couldn't crawl just 10 feet farther to get to their beds).

None of those places were quite as odd as where my now 2 year old daughter fell asleep. One day when she was 15 months old, I layed her down on her mattress to go to sleep. Later my husband and I went into her room to check on her, but couldn't find her. The door was closed, so we knew she had to be in there, somewhere. My husband decided to look under the crib, and sure enough, she had fallen asleep UNDER the crib!

Here's a picture we took after lifting up the crib skirt to uncover our daughter:If it looks like she was sleeping in the splits, it's because she was. I've never seen a baby as flexible as she was.What unusual positions have your children fallen asleep?

Tips for Surviving Life with 2 (or More) Children Under 3

My oldest is now 5 and my youngest is 1 1/2, but I remember how hard it was when all 4 children were 4 and under. These are tips that I did (and still do) to make life go a little easier as a mom of multiple little ones:

*Have a daily nap/quiet time- for both you and the children. Having exhausted toddlers makes the day very hard to get through. Getting a little rest mid-day makes the afternoon stretch much more bearable. If you have an older child who no longer naps, teach them to have an hour of quiet play or reading time.

*Keep "convenience" foods on hand for stressful days where you don't want to cook. Or, better yet, make your own chicken nuggets and meals from scratch, freeze them instead of using processed foods. Having your own quick meals available will also minimize the temptation to eat out on the inevitable crazy days.

*Schedule doctor appointments for days when your husband, relative, or friend can watch the kids. Trying to take 3 or 4 little children to a doctor appointment can be incredibly stressful!
*If you don't have someone you can talk to about frustrations, or struggles you're going through, then consider keeping a journal. Just getting the stress out by writing and praying about it can really help.

*Make time for your husband. Having multiple children in diapers can be stressful for him too. Saving some time for your husband in the evenings and even a special date once in a while can help keep your marriage strong.

*Don't compare yourself to other moms who have fewer young children. My life now as a mom with only one child under 2 is so much easier than it was this time last year. I used to have 3 children that needed help getting dressed, wiping, washing hands, buckling their car seats, and just about everything else. That means you naturally will have less time to get other things accomplished that you might have if you had less young children at one time. Things will be easier once your children are older and can do more things for themselves.

*Have fun! Make crafts, play with playdough, color pictures, blow bubbles, and enjoy your time with the kids. Time goes by easier when you're having fun.

*Lastly, remember this: The days are long but the years are short. It might be incredibly hard right now raising multiple young children. However, it goes by fast and someday they won't need you 24/7. Enjoy your time with your babies while it's still here.

If you have had your babies close together, what tips would you offer other moms for making life easier with 2 kids under 2?