Nothing is Too Small to The Lord

Hi! It's Jilly. Katelynn has a special blanket...her "Penguin Blanket", aka PB. That thing has been a part of our family for many years. It is a blanket that was originally given to me for Christmas when I was in high school. She always laughs about how she "stole" it from me when she was a baby. 

I don't remember exactly when she got attached to it, but I know that Katelynn and PB have been through a lot together. Through the best of times and the worst of times.



Her blanket was there when she was three years old, in the hospital with kidney failure.

It's been there as we've moved around the country and lived in four different states.



It's been there through colds and fevers.

To everyone else it might look like just a blanket, but to her it is very important. Scott and I have talked about how we would do anything to get it back if PB was accidentally left somewhere. We know how devastated she would be if anything happened to it.

This makes me think of our Father in Heaven. Although something might seem small and unimportant in the grand scheme of things, if it is important to us, it is important to our Heavenly Father. He is our Father. He wants what is best for us. He loves us so much that He will do whatever He can to help us. He loves us so much that he sent His Only Begotten Son to atone for our sins, so we can return and live with Him someday. His love is infinite and eternal. He loves us more than we can even imagine with our mortal minds.

If there is something troubling you, please take it to your Father in Heaven! He wants to hear from you. He wants to help you, no matter how "small" it may seem.

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, has felt every pain and heartache we experience so that he can empathize with us and comfort us in our times of need. I know it's hard sometimes. We feel so small, and like our worries and concerns are not worth His time with all the bad stuff happening around the world. Don't let that stop you from going to your Father and talking with Him. Jesus said,

 28 ¶^aCome unto me, all ye that ^blabour and are heavy laden, and I will give you ^crest.
 29 Take my ^ayoke upon you, and ^blearn of me; for I am ^cmeek and^dlowly in ^eheart: and ye shall find ^frest unto your souls.
 30 For my yoke is ^aeasy, and my burden is light.

(Matthew 11:28-30)

source

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Pre-Baptism Photo Shoot

Hi! It's Jilly. Last week I gave you a little preview of the pre-baptism photo shoot my sweet friend, Jenni, did with the kids. Well, I finally have them all watermarked and ready to post. I love, love, love how they turned out! They capture such a special time in their lives. Thank you SO much, Jenni! You are quite the budding photographer! ;)

For more photo ideas, follow my Photography board on Pinterest. To catch the next post, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Bloglovin'. 

Might be linking up with: Craft-O-Maniac, C.R.A.F.T, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, More the Merrier Monday, Make the Scene Monday,Serendipity and Spice, Home Stories A to Z, Titus 2 Tuesday, Take It On Tuesday, What We Wore, Read, and Made Wednesdays,  The DIY Dreamer, House of Hepworths, Mom on Timeout,Pinterest Power Party, My Favorite Finds, Weekend Wonders, My Turn For Us, Fancy This Friday, Sew Crafty Angel , Friday Favorites, Sunday FUNday,

Weekend? Update with Jilly

Hi! It's Jilly! Inspired by my sweet sis-in-law's blog, I decided I need to add a bit more day-to-day stuff here on this 'ole blog. I planned to do a Weekend Update, a la SNL. But, in true Jilly form, I am just getting to it now- four days late.

Ah, well. It's my blog and I can do what I want, right?! Whatever the heck I want! Gosh...

So, what happened last week?

On Monday I started this "Feelin' Great in Eight", 8-week fitness challenge. I'm on a team with four twin moms and we get points for eating healthy, working out, drinking our water...all that good stuff. BUT, we have to subtract points when we eat bad things. Eeek! Good thing we get two "freebies" a week, or I'd be sunk!

On Tuesday not much happened. I think I went to Zumba? But, my poor hubby was on call. He left for a surgery around 11 pm and didn't get home till 5 or 5:30 in the morning! Needless to say he was a bit tired!

Wednesday morning I watched my friend Kelli's kids. (The one who gave me this fabulous recipe.) I showed her youngest how to take pictures with my phone, so now I have 5,753,276 pictures on my phone like this:

It's a cute little forehead, though.

On Thursday my Visiting Teacher came over. It was fun to chat with her. That evening my cute friend Jenni did a little "pre-baptism" photo shoot with the kiddos. I can't wait to show you all the pics! Here's a little preview.



Friday we...hmmm...what did we do Friday? It must have been monumental. ;)

On Saturday I co-hosted a baby shower for sweet Jenni who took the kids' pictures on Thursday. I'm excited to show it to you guys! The theme was "Twinkle, twinkle little star". Here I am posing after the shower with the mom-to-be.

Then Sunday was, of course, Mother's Day. That day was full of mixed emotions for me. During church the closing hymn was a difficult one for me. We sang a song that my siblings and I sang at my Dad's funeral five years ago. Most days I'm fine, but hearing that song just brought back a wave of emotion for me, and I was reminded that my Dad won't be there for my kids' baptisms next week. I had to leave near the end of the song and go cry in the bathroom!

After church I was able to take a deliciously long nap, while my hubby whipped up an awesome dinner. He is a much better cook than I am! He is the Grillmaster! We ate outside, even though it was a little chilly.

And that is my exciting week!

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"Where Are The Dinos?" Book Review and GIVEAWAY

Hi! It's Jilly. This week I am celebrating Children's Book Week by participating in the Kid Lit Giveaway Hop!

I had the chance to review this cute e-book, "Where Are The Dinos?". The pictures are colorful, and the story has a nice rhythm to it. The author, Julia Dweck, has a great collection of e-books available. E-books are nice to have for those times you are waiting at the doctor's office and need a little distraction that is better than playing Angry Birds. ;)

The story is about a little boy who goes to the zoo and asks the tour guide "Where are the dinos?" It's really cute. I'll let the kiddos tell you the rest. :) 

"I like how he kept asking the tour guide all these crazy questions, like if dinosaurs go shopping, swimming, or take breaks. Then the tour guide got mad and yelled, 'They're not here! They're extinct!'. That was funny!"

"Yeah. It was really funny."

"I like how the dinosaur winked."

It was a fun book to read. I like that the end of the book includes little facts about dinosaurs, how to draw a dinosaur, and words to unscramble. I know Michael will use the "Learn 2 Draw" page! He loves to create things!

How would you like to WIN a copy of this book?! Julia is giving away FIVE of them!! How nice is that?! 

Enter to win your free copy in the Rafflecopter widget below. 

And, don't forget to check out the other book I'm reviewing and hosting a giveaway for, as well as all the other great books in the Kid Lit Giveaway Hop!

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"Mommy, Tell Me a Story..." Book Review & GIVEAWAY

Hi! It's Jilly. This week is Children's Book Week!! To celebrate I am participating in the Kid Lit Giveaway Hop!

I am SO excited to be sharing this book review today! The author, Kristi Grimm, was inspired to write her stories by her son's simple requests--"Mommy, tell me a story about a ______".

Her latest book is called "Mommy, Tell Me a Story About a Plane". It is a beautiful book, and the illustrations were done by her husband. How cute is that?! The story is about an old biplane named Hugh who is sad because he can't do a lot of the things he used to be able to. He then talks to a bird who tells him about a bird named Trevor that lives in the South Pole and cannot fly. Hugh flies to the South Pole to investigate. Meeting with the penguins he makes new friends and is cheered to learn that everyone has their own special talents and abilities.

There are lots of things I liked about this book. I loved that they have fun facts and questions at the end of the story, sparking more conversation with your kids. I didn't know Gentoo Penguins were only 3 feet tall!

One question asked at the end was, "What makes Hugh happy again?". Katelynn said, "He made friends. You can do things you couldn't do in your past."

That really made me think. Often we focus on the things we can't do anymore, rather than the things we can do now that we're older.

Emma said, "It has 2 coloring pages in the back to color. I like that. I like that it rhymed!". I like that, too. FYI- The coloring pages and facts & questions at the end are only available in the new 2nd edition of the book.

This is the conversation I had with Michael about the book.

Me: "What did you like about the book?"
Michael: "I liked the Guano Penguins."
Me: "You mean Gentoo?"
Michael: "Yeah. You know what guano is?"
Me: "What?"
Michael: "POOP!! Hahahahaha!"

Leave it to the boy to bring up poop...

Kristi's "Mommy, tell me a story" series currently has 3 books, with a new one coming out this summer-- "Mommy, Tell Me a Story About a Fish".

She also has teamed up with celebrity chef Charles Mattocks to produce a colorful children's book called "Diabetes and Healthy Living", which includes recipes, coloring pages, answers to children's frequently asked questions, and tips for children living with diabetes. It will be release July 4th, 2013.

The "Mommy, Tell Me a Story" series (2nd edition) can be found on Barnes & Noble and Amazon for about $13, but is only $10 on her publisher's website, Richer Press!

BUUUUT, you can enter to WIN a copy of your very own!! Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below to get your hands on this sweet book! FIVE of you will be the lucky ones!! Talk about generous!

And, be sure to visit my other book review for another fun book & giveaway! There's also a link to the Kid Lit Giveaway Hop below, with a chance to win lots of great books!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You Might Be A Doctor's Wife If...

Hi! It's Jilly. There are some little things that are kind of...different in your life if you are married to a doctor, especially a resident. I thought it would be fun to point some of these things out.

You might be a doctor's wife if...

• the balance on your student loan statement is large enough to purchase your dream house.
• "call" is a four-letter word.
• you've ever been out-and-about with your family and someone has stopped your husband to ask him to look at his (fill in the blank).
• your husband says excitedly, "I'm going in for surgery!".
• you think whoever decided white coats should be white needs to be hunted down.

• you nonchalantly say to your friend, "Oh, Hubby's at the hospital."
• you've had dinner plans ruined by a case running late or the pager going off. 
• people think you're rich because "your husband is a doctor." (See #1)
• you wish that college had only been 7 years. Shut up, Richard...

• a medical procedure has been done at your kitchen table.
• you only get food from the "nice" restaurants when Hubby brings it home in a doggy bag from one of those drug rep dinners.
• you wake up in the middle of the night to find his side of the bed empty...and it doesn't phase you.
• you zone out when Hubby starts "talking shop" with one of his friends.
• you find pictures of nasty wounds and infections on his phone.
• the kids complain about an ailment and you say, "Just have Dad look at it when he gets home."
• your Hubby takes the kids on a "date" to the hospital cafeteria.

What would you add to the list? ;)

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Might be linking up with: Craft-O-Maniac, C.R.A.F.T, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, More the Merrier Monday, Make the Scene Monday,Serendipity and Spice, Home Stories A to Z, Titus 2 Tuesday, Take It On Tuesday, What We Wore, Read, and Made Wednesdays,  The DIY Dreamer, House of Hepworths, Mom on Timeout,Pinterest Power Party, My Favorite Finds, Weekend Wonders, My Turn For Us, Fancy This Friday, Sew Crafty Angel , Friday Favorites, Sunday FUNday,

How to Breastfeed Like a Rockstar: Tips and Tricks from a Triplet Mom

Post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase from the links, I might get a couple pennies.

Hi! It's Jilly. Yes, you read the title right. Today we are talking about breastfeeding. Men, you can avert your eyes. Or, if your wife is currently breastfeeding or will be soon you can "vert" your eyes...?

Anyway, I am a member of several mothers of multiples groups on Facebook, and new moms are always asking for info about breastfeeding, desperate for tips and wondering if they can breastfeed twins, or even triplets.

I am here to tell you that YES it is possible! I breastfed my triplets for just over a year, with not a ton of formula supplementation. I tell you this not to toot my own horn or be all, "Look how awesome I am" or anything like that. I'm just trying to convey that I have been in the trenches and have a decent amount of experience.

Today I will share with you all the tips I like to share with those new MoMs hungry for breastfeeding knowledge.

#1- Water, water, water!
In order to make milk you have to be drinking plenty of water. I used to HATE drinking water, so I would mix it up by adding lemon to my water and things like that. Here's the link to 50 Awesome Flavored Water Ideas to help you out.

#2- Milk Making Foods!
There are many foods that help with your milk supply. One of my favorites is full-fat ice cream (think Haagen Dazs) topped with malt powder. You can get powdered malt in the ice cream toppings aisle. It's like crushed up Whoppers. Oatmeal is great, too. Also, it's important to make sure you're eating at least 3 meals a day, plus snacks. You have to eat food to make food!

You can also get supplements from the health food store, like fenugreek, brewer's yeast and mother's milk blend. If you're still worried about supply, your OB or child's pediatrician can prescribe Reglan.

#3- Power Pump!
When I was breastfeeding I would feed two at a time, usually using the football hold, then feed the third on both breasts to keep everything even. Then, I would pump for 10-15 mins. That keeps your body thinking it needs to make more milk because there is a higher demand.

If you feel your supply is low, power pump once a day every day until your supply is back up where you want it. What is power pumping? For one hour alternate between pumping for 10 minutes and resting for 10 mins. It sounds exhausting, but it's really not that bad. Put on a movie or something and do your thang.

#4- A Good Pump!
We knew that I would be pumping a lot with the triplets, so we got a hospital grade breast pump, the Medela Symphony .

Ah! That pump was music to my ears. Super easy to use and you can adjust the suction level. It also has a let-down feature, so you can just push a button to make it suck harder after your milk lets down. Many insurance companies now will pay for part or all of the purchase of a breast pump, or the rental of a hospital pump. Just ask!

Yes, I realize the Symphony is 1500 buck-a-roos, but Medela's Pump in Style is really great, too, and it's only $250. Totally worth it, in my opinion. And, you can always sell it when you're done, because the pump kit is detachable, making it completely sanitary. (Are you sure this water's sanitary? It looks questionable to me... Ha ha!)

#5- Get on a Schedule!
One thing that will help you breastfeed is having your kid(s) on a schedule. Then your body knows what's coming and can have the milk ready when it's time. It gives your body enough time to make the milk, and your baby is more likely to get that good, hind milk he or she needs.

Many moms of multiples swear by Babywise, which is what we used, but I've heard good things about the Baby Whisperer, too. Babywise has a chapter devoted to multiples. The main gist of Babywise is this: get your baby on a schedule where they are eating every 3-4 hours, and do things in this order- sleep, eat, play. Feed your baby right after they wake up, let them 'play' a while, then put them down for a nap while they are still awake. When they wake up from their nap start the cycle all over again. Having the kids on a schedule like that totally saved my life when they were babies.



#6- Don't Stress
Breastfeeding can be very stressful at times if things aren't going the way you'd like them to, especially if you are trying to feed multiple babies. But, don't let yourself get worked up about it. Stress can lower your supply, so make sure you sleep when the babies are sleeping and enjoy the times when breastfeeding is going well. Those kids grow up way too fast!

If you've tried everything and breastfeeding still isn't working for you, don't feel bad about it. Good moms breastfeed, and good moms formula feed! ;)

There you have it. Now you're all set to breastfeed like the rock star that you are!

I hope this was a help to you. If you have any other questions, shoot me an email at hiitsjilly@gmail.com, or you can find me on Facebook or Twitter.

Be sure to pin this, so other mommas can find it! You can find me on Pinterest HERE and Instagram HERE.

Might be linking up with: Craft-O-Maniac, C.R.A.F.T, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, More the Merrier Monday, Make the Scene Monday,Serendipity and Spice, Home Stories A to Z, Titus 2 Tuesday, Take It On Tuesday, What We Wore, Read, and Made Wednesdays,  The DIY Dreamer, House of Hepworths, Mom on Timeout, Thursday Favorite Things, Pinterest Power Party, My Favorite Finds, Weekend Wonders, My Turn For Us, Fancy This Friday, Sew Crafty Angel , Friday Favorites, Sunday FUNday,