Family Essentials: 6 Things We Can't Live Without
Every single night, we go through the same dilemma. We get our kids ready for bed. Which is pretty much an hour of chasing the boys, getting their pajamas on them, Levi stripping naked, getting his pajamas back on him, convincing Levi to let me brush his teeth, keeping Liam away from water so he doesn’t wet the bed, finding Levi has made a disaster in the kitchen, and finding the elusive puggy (paci, binky, or whatever you call it).When we move, we’re going to find dozens of them around the house. We have purchased COUNTLESS puggies, but it doesn’t matter. They always go missing. The funny thing is that Levi always finds them when we take one away from him. I swear he stashes them around the house. However, when we need one at night, none of us can find one.
I was thinking about it today and realized there are a few things our family can’t go without. They all make our life a little better.
1. The ergo.
This thing has saved us so many times. We have tried a handful of carriers over the years, but this is my favorite. All of your child’s weight is in your hips, not your shoulders. You can wear it for hours and it’s comfortable. The best part is that it’s good for children from birth until three years old; although, I think it's best from about 3 months on. It's a little too loose when they're itsy-bitsys.
2. The baby.
This is Toothless and he is Liam’s favorite toy in the world. We can’t go anywhere without him. He’s also our third Toothless, not that Liam knows of course. We have lost him time and time again. This little guy is ten dollars at Target. They have the characters to different kid’s movies and our kids love them. I love the price too because you know we will end up needing a fourth Toothless.
3. The boots.
Independence is vital in a house with three kids under four. I love it when my kids can do little tasks on their own. I’m still waiting on the independent seat belt buckling. That day will be glorious! For now, my favorite is the fact my older two kids can put their own shoes on. We have about six pairs of rubber boots. I don’t care what the weather is like. The answer is always easy to slip on rain boots.
4. The coffee.
This is an obvious choice. Coffee consumption is the only way to stay sane with three boys.
5. The books.
Our house is full books. We’re all readers. I love that this has been passed on to our children. They could sit in our living room with their piles of books for hours. It’s so great for their imagination! My youngest Liam has even started to learn how to read!! It's so much fun!
6. The puggy.
We have probably spent a few hundred dollars on these bad boys. Our first child hated them. I think he associated them with bed time and refused. However, our second kiddo is OBSESSED. In fact, I constantly find him with two in his mouth at a time. We had our third kiddo and Levi, our second, forced one on him. Now, he’s obsessed.