7 Quick Takes + A Giveaway!

--1--
A lot of people have a bucket list called "30 before 30" or something similar. I don't have a list like that, but one thing that seems to be a recurring idea is to make sure you go to a concert of a favorite band or artist. As I was reading this point on someone's list, I thought to myself, well, it would have to be someone I really like for me to get to a concert. (Being more of an introvert, not particularly liking huge crowds, plus the issue of babysitting...)

So, to make a long story short...

I am so excited to see The Piano Guys with David! If you haven't heard of them, you should go check them out! I have been a fan of theirs for a long time. I've even played some of Jon Schmidt's piano music. A big thanks to David's parents for gifting us the tickets and offering to babysit our troop while we enjoy an awesome date!

--2--
So my wonderful mother-in-law just got back from a trip to Canada/US and, as always, offered to bring some things back for me. Without thinking I asked for some chocolate chips for baking. (Not available here or cost prohibitive :)) Unfortunately I didn't realize just how hot it was going to be when she came back. Let's just say my chocolate chips are a little less like chips and more like a, um, block? Nothing a little fridge time can't cure though. :) I may just have to eat some of the more melted ones.

--3--
Poor Elena is going through a tough time, being in the middle of the family. Not quite big enough to keep up with Lucas and often bears the brunt of his teasing. Now at times she is also tormented by the twins; they love crawling all over her if she lies down on the floor.

--4--
What do you do when your babies start crying? Especially if you can't pick them up or attend to them right away? In our house there seems to be a special quality to one particular children's song that just quiets my babies down right away. I'm not sure what it is about "The Wheels on the Bus" - but it works like a charm every. single. time. (It also means I sing this song a lot!)

--5--
While many people in the northern hemisphere are suffering through lots of winter storms, we are having a rather hot summer here. And what's better on a hot day than a nice slice of watermelon?

--6--
Did you know this week was Random Acts of Kindness week? Neither did I, until I read a friend's blog. Anyways, do something random and kind for someone today.

--7--

Here's my random act of kindess - a "random" Giveaway for a $15 Amazon Gift card. Use the rafflecopter below to enter. For an extra entry, like us on Facebook. Should a US resident win, they will receive an amazon.com gift card, a Canadian will will an amazon.ca gift card.  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Quick Takes

--1--
You know you have four kids when a "date" with your hubby means having an hour in the car "alone" (i.e., all four kids sleeping in the back) and you stop to pick up your favorite drinks and snacks to enjoy on the way.

--2--
There's not much point spending half an hour writing out your meal plan and grocery list if you take it to the store and then forget to look at it until you've finished shopping and put everything into the car. Forgot one thing? No way you're going back into the store!

--3--
Lucas: Mommy, your belly is really squishy...
Me: Yes, it is Lucas, because mommy had a lot of babies in there.
Lucas: Yeah, first Lucas was in your belly, and then Elena, and then Lisa and Leila. You're right mommy! That's a lot of babies!
*pause*
Lucas: But how did the babies all get out?
Me: Well...
*pause*
Lucas: Look mommy! Leila's awake!
Me: *phew* dodged that bullet. 
At least he didn't ask how the babies got there in the first place!

--4--
How can my babies be 8 months old already? The time is flying by so fast. They are well over 8 kgs (about 18 lbs), eating all kinds of foods, sitting and playing by themselves, crawling all over the place and already trying to climb up on the furniture. They babble and sing and love to laugh. It is getting harder and harder to get a good photo of them together!

--5--
A few random numbers for ya:
30 - The average temperature (Celsius) this week. It's been hot, folks!
4 - Number of times I was up in the night with the twins. And this was actually a pretty good night! Each was up twice.
3 - Approximate number of times my cup of tea gets re-heated before finally finished.
6:00am - The time Lisa decided to get up for good this morning.
70 - The length (height) of my babies (in cm).

--6--
Lucas and Elena are getting to a wonderful stage where they love to hear stories. Mostly at bedtime as I think they want to prolong the process as much as possible. What are some good books to read aloud to them? They are age 3 - 5.

--7--
I was pretty happy about this Angel Food cake I made for David to celebrate his birthday last week. Not too hard as long as you're careful about any oil, grease or egg yolk that can mess up the rising of the cake. Baked it in a tube pan, then filled the centre with fresh strawberries and "frosted" with whipped cream. So, you know, if you happen to have a dozen eggs lying around, give it a try! Here's the recipe I used.

Happy Friday everyone!