Getting Dirty…

We are still adapting to this new stage of life. In between our sports schedules we have a yard to take care of, a garden to plant, all of those outdoor to-dos on our list, and two almost two-year olds to wear out.

I am pretty sure that this summer will be one of the most difficult summers for us. The boys are at the stage where they love to run and explore. I absolutely LOVE this part of toddlerhood! The difficult part? They don’t follow direction too well. In order for us to wear them out for the day let them release all of their toddler energy two adults need to be present. As you can imagine, this makes it hard to accomplish much around here.

We are slowly figuring things out though:

While Daddy tilled the garden Mama took the boys for a ride.

After Daddy was done, we took a walk….and found mud:

  

Watching our boys stomp in the mud (Zeke decided to sit and play in the mud) filled my mind with childhood memories.

My own Mama would lovingly shove my brother and I out the door saying, “Go outside and play.” We had so many adventures throughout the woods, stomping in every puddle we could find. The car horn told us it was time to head to the house, dad is home from work. He would be standing there, garden hose in hand. He always acted so proud as we showed him ‘how muddy we got today!’ Then he would hose us off before letting us retreat inside.

Standing at the puddle, hubby looked at me and said, “I am so glad I married a woman who is not afraid of dirt.” (thankfully he wasn’t talking about our messy house.)

That’s what kind of Mama I want to be. I want to encourage our boys to get dirty. Teach them to climb trees and build forts. Show them how to catch frogs (and beg them to take away the snakes). I want to pass down the skill of ‘worming the hook.’ I was meant to be the Mama of boys.

Back to our walk:

Zeke’s muddy pants were slowing him down. Xander had no patience for the slower pace and grabbed his brother’s hand and helped him down the trail.

I guess Zeke felt they were walking too fast.

Boys will be boys!

Do you have any tricks to wearing out toddler boys? I have no clue where all of their energy comes from!

Being a Mama to Twins

It has been a while since my last twin post. In lieu of Mother’s Day, I thought I would share how my life has changed since being a mama of twins.

Prior to my pregnancy I was a planner and researcher. I spent so much time analyzing the best way to do things. Then I set to getting them done; in a perfectly productive manner (much to my “go with the flow” husband’s annoyance). I always had a plan in place; and had to follow that plan to the letter. Spontaneous to me would be letting my husband choose a restaurant….from a carefully chosen list.

Then this happened:

Since I had an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy months earlier, an emergency ultrasound was ordered. We had our first photography session at eight weeks:

Needless to say, we were a bit surprised.

I had an awesome pregnancy. So awesome that if I could guarantee every pregnancy would be as good as this one, I might do it over. *Maybe we’ll talk twin pregnancy in the future.

Back to mothering twins. It seemed that the moment I found out about Thing 1 and Thing 2 (we didn’t find out the sex, so these were the names of our growing fetuses) I let out a huge breath of air. It was as though God was reminding me that he is in charge, so stop planning.

Like most pregnant women, I was not myself. I was more relaxed, nicer, more understanding. I went with the flow (it may have been that I was just too big to fight the current).

Then after forty weeks (actually 39 weeks, and four days), these little buggers decided it was time to make their appearance. The day before their scheduled arrival (cesarean).

After a few short days, the hospital decided it was time for us to go home.

That is when my whole world turned upside down!

Before I go any further I want to say this first; I love being the mama to these wonderful boys. I feel so blessed each and every day, and I would not change a single thing.

Back to the upside-down-world… I had visions about what kind of mom I would be. I had concrete determination about how we were going to parent these little blessings. But God had other plans.

Motherhood is nothing like I had imagined it. In the beginning it was almost unbearable. Of course, I looked put-together. It seemed like I was adjusting. I appeared to be handling this new role. But I was an absolute mess!

Things didn’t get easier until I gave up. I didn’t give up on the family, I gave up trying to force my plans. Once I threw in the towel, and started ‘going with the flow’ things sort of fell into place.

It is still so very hard for me to adjust to each new obstacle mothering brings, but I finally feel like I can handle change. We are well into the toddler stage, and EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. presents something new and albeit challenging, but now I just cope.

I can comfortably tell people that motherhood is the most awesome and rewarding thing I have ever done.

There will be steep hills you have to battle to climb. But please don’t keep your focus at reaching the top. Instead, soak in each and every experience on the way.

Crafting With Twin Toddlers (And Day 9 Update)

It is no secret that I am a crafting mama. Sewing, crochet/knitting, refashioning, DIY jewelry, baking, you name it; I love it. (I hope you didn’t name scrapbooking. I am actually afraid to even start scrapbooking, because of my craft supply hoarding issues and all…)

After showing off my latest creations one question usually comes up, “How do you find the time with twins.”

So I have been pondering an answer to this question. I have found a few helpful ideas. I hope you will find one that works for you. Here goes;

My boys take a nap. A long nap. Fortunately for us, they also sleep through the night (most of the time). Most stay at home moms would be cleaning, relaxing, preparing dinner, or even napping themselves.

I do a little cleaning and food prep during naptime. Lately I have found that I can do a decent amount of cleaning while they are awake, with their ‘help’. Whatever housework is left I try to do after dad is home from work, or it simply goes unfinished (this is the reason I am participating in the 30 Day House Cleaning Challenge).

When I have time, I fill my freezer to make meal prep easier. This can also be done while the boys are playing, or after dad is home.

The majority of naptime is reserved for ‘Mama’s Creative Time.” I have found what crafting I feel comfortable to do while they are up and around, and what craft tasks need to be done during naptime. If my projects involve the sewing machine, or ironing board they are done while they sleep.

All other projects are placed in a basket. Hand sewing, crochet projects, gluing, seam ripping, and cutting all go into this basket. I pull the basket out while the boys are playing and work on these projects. By utilizing this method I am able to finish more throughout the day.

*Extra tip: I also have a to-go bag of projects, like a crochet project. I keep this handy in my purse. This project is pulled out while riding in the vehicle, watching games, or waiting for appointments. (I even pulled it out once while waiting for a train!)

How do you ‘get your craft on’ with toddlers? If you are past the toddler stage, share your expertise, I am always looking for ideas.

30 Day House Cleaning Challenge, Day 9:

Today’s task is to surface clean a bedroom. Our spare bedroom closet has become the dumping place. We tend to shove everything that we don’t want to deal with on cleaning day in this closet to “deal with later.”

Not pictured is the hiding space in the back. This secret space is about the size of a dresser (and full to the brim!). This really isn’t a true before either. I had weeded out two huge boxes two weeks ago.

Cannot believe I am posting this for the world, how embarrassing!

I pulled EVERYTHING out, dusted, and vacuumed. Then I ruthlessly weeded through things. If it was a keeper I put it where it belonged. If I felt we didn’t need it, out it went!

So much better! Bonus, this project only took about an hour. (Sorry for the crappy pictures- it is really hard to take pictures of a closet.)

Don’t forget the pile of stuff leaving our home:

Are you cleaning along? Do you have a space like this closet, where everything is thrown right before company arrives?

Twin Tip Tuesday; Borrow Before You Buy

There are so many gimmicks and gadgets made for babies (and kids). Today’s twin tip is aimed to save you a little dough.

If at all possible, Borrow Before You Buy

Ask friends and family to borrow items you are thinking about purchasing. If you cannot borrow what you are looking for, start with just one. (Twins learn to share early.)

Take these swings for example: I thought babies needed swings. My mom bought us two very nice (read that as slightly expensive) swings. As you can see from the photo above, the boys didn’t care for them too much. They did grow to like the swing, but by that time they also grew out of them.

Lessons I learned:

1. Babies grow fast!
2. Baby gadgets are expensive.
3. Twins do not necessarily like the same things.
4. Think creatively.

That’s it, short and sweet. Thanks for stopping by to read my Quick Twin Tip. I hope this helps anyone approaching baby season.

Tuesday Toddler Tip; 3 Ways to Sneak In Nutrition

Today’s tip is geared for toddlers, twin or not.

I have such a hard time feeding my boys. Some days they eat good, other days they insist on practicing their “splatter technique” (painting the wall with their dinner). This mama gets frustrated!

Through trial and error, I have found three ways my boys are guaranteed to eat nutritious food:

1.  My boys love smoothies. We found these cups at Wal-Mart for $0.98. They have been a life-saver! I add frozen fruit, fresh fruit, yogurt, and milk or juice. I have even added veggies to the smoothies! The trick to these smoothies is to make them a thinner consistency, so the straw doesn’t get clogged.

2.  They get so excited to eat out of a coffee mug. They love these blueberry mug muffins. I have also successfully served them oatmeal, applesauce, yogurt, and soup in a coffee cup. (If you are looking for an egg-free chocolate cake, my boys and I recommend this recipe.)

3.  I think the mini-muffin pan was designed for toddlers. My boys love these little bundles of nutrition. Of course, the veggies muffins are a hit. We love these egg-free chocolate chip banana muffins. I have also thrown meatloaf mixture, pancake batter, and even shredded veggies into the mini-muffin pan. Our freezer is always stocked with little muffin food.

Your turn: How do you avoid the ‘food on the wall’ episodes? We are willing to try anything.

Twin Tip Tuesday: The Diaper Bag

Today’s tip is short and sweet. We are talking about the diaper bag.

While registering for our baby shower I sent hubby to the diaper bag aisle. Personally, I didn’t have a preference as to what the bag looked like, I just wanted it to be big enough to carry enough stuff for two babies. It was important that hubby would be comfortable carrying our new luggage (so it had to be manly).

We received the bag hubby picked out at our baby shower.

We used it….. for about a month.

Twin Tip: Do not buy a diaper bag.

After about a month of trying to carry two babies in their car seats, and a diaper bag over one shoulder, we gave up. We ditched the traditional diaper bag and switched to a backpack.

We were fortunate enough to receive a hand-me-down military backpack.  We love it. It is so easy to throw on the bag, pick up the two littles, and head out the door. Disclaimer: It has not been easy to get out the door since we added twins to our family, but it has been easier since we switched bags.

That’s it, short and sweet.

Have you tried a backpack, or are you faithful to your diaper bag?

I Spoke Too Soon

Hubby left for work this morning with one request. “PLEASE take a nap when the boys nap.”

I love the ‘me’ time that naptime brings me. I look forward to being able to focus on things that I enjoy (like sewing). I like being able to have the house look normal, even if only for the few hours the boys nap. I enjoy having the time to prepare dinner for the family without frequent breaks to break up a wrestling match, fill a cup with milk, or to move things up even higher; out of reach from my growing toddlers. I LOVE naptime.

Why the request for a mama nap? Well… remember when I mentioned the other day about how blessed we were. You know, because the boys have (mostly) slept through the night since they were little? We are usually very leery of sharing this information, it seems as soon as we do- they make us want to eat our words.

Tuesday night, the very day I hit publish, Zeke woke up in the middle of the night. He’s getting the runny nose junk. No problem, we just brought him into our bed and he fell right back to sleep. Last night on the other hand, Zeke woke up, and proceeded to wake Xander up. Bringing two toddlers into mama and daddy’s bed is not a good idea. (Remember the previously mentioned wrestling matches?) Especially when dad has to work in a few hours. I brought them downstairs, where they decided to party the night away. And the morning.

That’s parenthood. I’m off to take a nap.

Twin Tip Tuesday; The Doctor Is In

Today’s twin tip may be common sense, but still oh so important. It also applies to all parents.
Twin Tip: Take the time to find the right pediatrician. (If your current pediatrician isn’t working out; find a different one!)
The right pediatrician is going to look different for each and every person. I suggest that you make a list of what is important to your family health wise/medically. Take this list and interview prospects. Yes, interview them.

Our pediatrician: Is very in tune to our parenting methods. This is why we choose her. She is very intelligent, and tries preventing troubles that may occur later in life (for instance keeping a close eye on Xander for possible hip dysplasia). She uses methods other than medication if at all possible (something that is extremely important to me), like testing for food allergies before prescribing medication to mask a problem. She was on board with our choice to try breastfeeding, encouraging me to set more realistic goals(so glad she did this). She applauded my efforts, and did not make me feel like a failure when I had decided to quit after two months. Lastly, mom and dad’s health is extremely important to her.
Why I LOVE our pediatrician: Our boys have (mostly) slept through the night since they were six weeks old. (Except through teething episodes.) We find ourselves extremely lucky. Some households have one baby/toddler who doesn’t sleep well, I could not imagine having two! I sincerely feel that our pediatrician is the primary reason for this (and the stars were all aligned at the exact moment our boys were born) She always asked about their sleep patterns, and gave us suggestions for getting them sleep to sleep through the night. She would give a follow-up call to check up on us. She also made sure that I knew to call if our methods weren’t working. Because mom and dad need to be healthy for baby to be healthy.
What I look for in a pediatrician is going to be different from your family’s needs. That being said, it is so important that you find a doctor who’s practice align with your values and chosen parenting methods.
Before you curse me too much here’s my disclaimer: Every situation is different! I am not bragging, criticizing, passing judgment, or claiming myself to be an expert mother. I know how lucky we are. I am just trying to offer avenues that I have found helpful, things we have had to figure out on our own that may make life easier for others if shared.

Twin Tip Tuesday, Cribs or Bassinets?

Happy Tuesday.

I would really like to be more deliberate about posting twin tips. Not because I know it all, because lets face it- I don’t. I want to be more regular, because of the lack of information I was able to find. Keep in mind, I am not trained in any way, shape or form, except for the fact that I am the mama of twins. So without delay, today’s topic:

Bassinets, 1 crib, 2 crib? What do I need?

I was puzzled with this question during most of my pregnancy. I had people (who had never had multiples) tell me I had to have bassinets. I read articles and books that discussed babies sleeping in the same or separate cribs. I had such a hard time making a decision.

This is what we did: I registered for twin pack n play. I mainly wanted it because it is bigger than standard pack n plays. Another reason we choose this piece is because it featured two bassinets. We also had two cribs given to us.

How they slept in the hospital.

The boys hated the bassinets. I understand why. They were smooshed together before they entered this world. They were smooshed together in the hospital. Then we bring them home and separate them into bassinets. As soon as they were out of those things and within eyesight of each other they were happy.

They slept together in one crib for a few months. (Our pediatrician was on board with this.) When they started showing signs of rolling over, we put them into separate cribs. The cribs were side-by-side. (The boys held hands through the cribs, so very adorable.)

This is how they slept for the first few months.

Here’s my tip: If you are on a tight budget, and looking for the bare minimum to buy; one crib will suffice for a few months. (And don’t waste your money on bassinets!)

*Please keep in mind that I am not an expert, I am just sharing what worked for us.

Do you have any twin specific questions? Let me know, I would love to offer any knowledge I have obtained during this adventure.

Deliberate Reading

Note to self: Schedule haircuts…

Reading is important to me. As a child I was taught that reading is the best superpower one can possess. If you can read, you can do anything; fix a car, bake a cake, build a house, time travel, exotic travel, dream, deepen your relationship with God, anything is possible with a book.

Needless to say, our whole family enjoys reading. My boys even love books. All day long they are bringing a book to mama, and sitting down to listen to a story. The only problem is that they don’t stick around past once upon a time. They are up and on to something else.

This is frustrating for a mama like me (I tend to be a little too structured). One of my 30 by 30 goals is to read to the boys everyday. For the past year I have tried many different ways to read to my boys, with no success. Until I started being deliberate with our reading.

Inspired by Money Saving Mom, I decided to try something different- reading while they eat.

We love it! The boys are getting read to. They tend to eat better. The biggest bonus? They have been throwing less food. We usually get about 4 books read before their attention diverts to something else.

We (translation: mama) is getting a little tired of the same books. What are your favorite children’s books to read aloud?

Twin Tip Tuesday, Dealing With Sickness

Hubby has been on vacation this past week. Poor guy.

It was actually a ‘staycation’. We had plans to get started, and almost finished on Christmas to-dos.

All started well. Friday Granny was staying with the boys. Our plan was to spend the night away, and go shopping the next day.

The boys were sick within ten minutes from us leaving the house. Luckily mom insisted that she could handle it, and we fully trusted that she could. Even so, it still made shopping harder. I find it very overwhelming to shop during the holidays. On top of the huge mess of people, all the pretty things, and the yummy smells- having two toddlers at home absolutely miserable- OVERWHELMING!

Enough whining about what I didn’t get done (or the ever growing pile of laundry to do).

Twin tip:

The elusive 24 hour bug people talk about, well keep dreaming. By the time Thing 1, Thing 2, and yourself get the bug, well…you do the math. I will spare you the yucky details.

The positive to our flu is my list of “thankfuls”…

I am thankful that A) I am able to stay home with the boys, because this darn flu would have cost so much money in lost wages. B) That hubby was home to help. I am so sorry that this is how he had to spend his hard earned vacation, but I am so thankful that I didn’t have to deal with this bug all by lonesome. C) I am also thankful that we are able to celebrate this season, even though it is not as organized as I had hoped. D) I am thankful for a thoughtful husband who knows I appreciate practical gifts. (The carpet shampooer he bought while we were dating has saved our house from smelling like a barf bag.)

Hope this twin tip helps, just remember 24 hour flu equals 72 hours (at least). Tell your employer I said so. (By the way, the photo was pre-flu. I should have saved my money, because apparently Cheese Puffs taste better off the floor.)

Have any speed-disinfecting tips?

Twin Tip Tuesday; Scrub-a-Dub

I read the books about having multiples (in our case, twins). Now that I am mama to twins, I feel I can give little tidbits of useful advice.

This weeks' tips- bath time! How do you bathe climbing, crawling, pretty much walking twins- alone?

I set a laundry basket in the tub, put water in the tub, and pop the boys in. The laundry basket is small enough they can't escape on me, climb, bump their noggin, or any of the other crazy stuff they try.

Just a small twin tip.

Have a great day!

Routine with Twins?

Nap time!

I have been focusing on getting up earlier these last few weeks. Its been going great.

There are a few reasons I have been focusing on getting up earlier. One reason is so I can see hubby for a few minutes before he leaves for work. I make him an iced coffee, and get a big water jug ready for him while he throws his lunch together.

After hubby leaves I usually have an hour to hour and a half before the boys get up. I have been trying to use this time to get some housework done, clothes on the line, shower, and dressed for the day.

This past week, all week- the boys have been waking up between 6:30 and 6:45, even earlier a couple days. Now, this doesn't bother me one bit. It is actually nice because hubby gets a chance to see them before he leaves for work. The only problem is that my routine needs to change, again.

For me this is the toughest part of motherhood. I like to have a routine. For the last year, I feel I have established a routine, then the boys let me know its not right for this time in our life. Sometimes I feel like a hamster, spinning on my wheel and getting nowhere.

Don't get me wrong- we have been very fortunate so far. The boys have slept through the night most of their life. They go to bed fairly easy and early most of the time. They are calm, happy, healthy little boys. We have been lucky!

I just need to accept that things are ALWAYS going to be changing, and learn how to ride the wave. Does anyone else have a hard time dealing with a lack of a routine?

Tuesday Twin Tips

It is a challenge raising twins. I have yet to find an adequate instruction guide to these precious little things. (While I was pregnant I read every book about twins and multiples that I could get my hands on.)

I am going to try to post a twin tip each Tuesday. This are tips that have worked for our family, but please keep in mind that every family is different.

Remember Biology class? Well, all that talk about 'adaptation' and 'survival of the fittest' makes much more sense now that I have twins. At our Well Check this week the pediatrician asked how I grocery shop. I had to laugh, it seems like second nature to me now.

Here's what we do (and have done since the boys were born):
I bought stroller hooks, much like these ones. I use reusable shopping totes, fill em up as we shop, and hang from the hooks. I felt weird at first, like people thought we were shoplifting. I got over that fast, now it is a way of life. (Next time we go shopping, I'll take a photo of this phenomenon.)

This is one adaptation I have made since being a mommy.

*This may be common sense, but please do not fill bags too full, or your twins will be popping wheelies through the grocery store. (Don't ask how I know.)