Every MOM deserves a Tasting Bee!!!

As you have read about in the past, I joined a group that I heard about through my friend, Pam!  Southern Minnesota Mothers of Multiples Group :)  LOVE LOVE LOVE these ladies!  I have been attending as many meetings as I can and I have learned so much about raising multiples!  Seriously things that I never even thought about!  Here's a doozie for you...

Birthday Parties!  

I was in the car with my friends, Karyn & Kristine, on our way to Welch, MN for my first MOM's Tasting Bee (description in a bit) when Kris's phone rang.  I seriously was not trying to listen, but I could hear that she was planning her son's (twins) 6th Birthday Party!  Then it happened...I learned about something I hadn't even thought of...

What to do when one of your children is invited to a party and the other isn't!  After she got off the phone, my questions started coming!  

What do you do when only one of them is invited?  What do you do when one wants to invite someone and the other doesn't?  Do you have two parties?  What do you do about gifts?  Do you buy one or two?

Thankfully these women are PROFESSIONALS - no joke!  I felt much better afterwards!

So we arrived in Welch at the most beautiful home I have ever seen!  Lori was our host (twins + two other children).  Her home was in the country and absolutely perfect!  The Tasting Bee is basically a pot luck, but it is one where we bring DELICIOUS foods AND the recipe to share :)  Yes, all of the delicious food in the pictures below, I have the recipe for!!  

SO GOOD :)

This is our Hostess with the mostess :)  Lori (on the right)

This punch was seriously amazing!  Hopefully Lori is reading this blog at some point and emails me the recipe for this!  That's one I forgot to get!  I know it had Lime Sherbert ice cream, because I saw her scooping it in!  I love her punch bowl too!  (hint hint for a Christmas Present family!!!)

We are better parents for this reason: WINE!

1. This table is enormous and beautiful

2. The laughs shared around it will never be forgotten :)  SO FUN

Karyn - Twins
Jenny - Twins

Kristine - Twins

Melanie - Quads - Yes...4...all at one time!

Amber - Twins

Anne - Triplets!

Twins

Lori - Twins

Twins

Amanda - Twins

Lindsay - Twins

Me - Twins

Christi left, but made an amazing pulled pork recipe that will for sure be at my next Viking Football party :)

We counted between all of us - I believe the # of children we all had together was a combined total of over 50?!!  I could be mistaken here, but it was incredibly high!  You have to remember that the majority of us there had more than just our multiples!

Something else I learned and had never thought about...SHOTS!  Your children have to have their milestone shots!  As babies, it's okay, because they're babies -they're not really sure what is going on.  So when the first child gets his shots, the second won't REALLY know what is going on!  But what happens when those "Babies" become 5 years olds and they have to go in for their five year old shots!?  Oh yes, we talked about this for quite some time ! I received a lot of good advice, but MAN - this MOM stuff is going to only get more difficult :)

To all of the MOMs that were there, and all of the MOMs that couldn't make it:
THANK YOU!  I had such a fantastic time and I cannot wait for next years Tasting Bee!  

See you in November :)