Dear 3 Boys

We found a new way to make pancakes this week in the Dedaj home, and I must say, it has really been a hit with my twin toddlers.  You can use any kind of yogurt you have on hand for this recipe - we always use Whole Milk Plain Yogurt by Farmland Fresh Dairies .  There is something special about making homemade pancakes, and the yogurt in these pancakes truly makes these the softest and fluffiest kind with a bit of tangy flavor we love! This recipe is quick and easy for all my fellow busy mamas out there, and is a great way to sneak in some extra nutrition into a food the kids already love.  You can have pancakes ANY time of day, and they are easy to store flat in the freezer and warmed up for 40-60 seconds in the microwave when you're ready to eat them.  This recipe makes for about 12 pancakes, and you can easily substitute different kinds of yogurt, like vanilla, strawberry, etc for a sweeter flavor.                ...

Dear 3 Boys,  We've reused some baby items, bought lots of new things and received a few hand-me down's over the course of this year.  Some things we barely used and some we used so much that we had to buy them again because we broke them or decided that we really wanted double of them.  And well, 'these are a few of my favorite things' we've used in this past year with you all.  Side note: I really hope that some day we'll watch 'The Sound of Music' altogether because Julie Andrews and this movie rocked my childhood.  To all the mama's reading, I hope you find this list of OUR favorite items useful to you!  I've hyperlinked several of them (click on the blue wording). xo, Vicky FAVORITE BABY ITEMS FOR THE TWINS IN YEAR 1: Angelcare Bath Support  seats  - We used these for bath time until the twins were just shy of 6 months old.  They are easy to clean, mildew resistant mesh material, and you can easily stack them if you need more t...

Dear 3 Boys, You know mommy adores you, but it's really frustrating when you decide to be picky about your food.  Maybe it's because of my Albanian background, or because I don't remember being a picky kid eater, or because I just assumed you'd all be chunkers, but I can't help but be concerned when you decide not to eat something.  I've made a ton of mistakes when it comes to feeding my boys, and I wouldn't dare say I have 3 non-picky kid eaters - but I've got some tricks I've been implementing to get the infant twins and my preschooler to not be as picky, or picky on the daily.  Here are my 10 "secrets" to keep in mind when you're trying to raise non-picky kid eaters: 1.  Introduce the new with the old! Blend new foods that you are introducing to your kids with "old" ones they are already familiar with or that you know they'll totally eat.  I can't begin to tell you all the different fruits and veggies I've ...

Dear 3 Boys, I am so excited about sharing my journey of motherhood with everyone through this blog. Each of you inspire me and motivate me every day to be a better person and have given my life purpose.  Finding out I was having twins has been the most shocking news I have ever received in my lifetime, and nothing would have ever prepared me for this adventure of raising 3 boys. In April it will be a year since we welcomed Adam and Matthew to our family, so I wanted to share my greatest learnings.  These are 15 lessons I learned over this (almost) first year of my motherhood journey of having twins plus one: There is room in my heart for all 3 One of my greatest fears about even deciding to add another baby to the family was around the idea of how I’d divide my love, my time, my self with anyone other than my first sweet boy, David.  I mean, we spent 3 years together just him, Dad and myself - how could I love anyone else like David? Finding out we were g...