Who's kid is that anyway....

Em.Barr.Ass.Ing.


So today, for the 3rd or 4th time, we went to the Y as a family. We went upstairs to drop the boys off at the daycare room, and headed back down to work out. Now, the past few times, this has gone very smoothly. We just drop them off and head out, and they never notice. But today, for some terrible, insane reason, the words "Bye Bye" came out of my mouth. And you would think I had said the dreaded word - "no". It started slowly, a quick look, and unsure face, a whimper. Then full out waterworks. I'm talking laying on the ground, flailing and crying. So I ran out of the room and out of site while Jason took care of going, since they tend to deal much better with his leaving (as he goes to work every day, and they are always asleep when I leave to coach in the afternoons).


A few minutes later, Jason comes down, and the screams are continuing. I rolled my eyes, got my bottle of water, and headed for the elliptical - assuming they would calm down after 5 minutes or so, per usual if they get left with a sitter.


5 minutes later, I see a mass of people staring up at the window to the day care room. So, knowing what is coming, I turn my head to see 2 little boys, faces pressed against the windows, banging their little fists and screaming out "Mama! Mama!". So I wave, they wave, and then, much to my relief, they turn around. 


So I get back to my workout when, approximately 3 minutes later I hear shrill screams coming from somewhere above me. Oh yes, there they are. Staring. Screaming. Terrifying others. Eventually the "Mama"s and the window banging stops (I refused to look back, maybe that was just making it worse?) and I assume since they can see me, they are fine and went back to playing.


Remember what they told you what happens when you 'assume'? They were right. Yes, you do in fact, make an ass out of u and me. Turns out, the daycare sitter was holding one, while trying to prevent the other from stealing food from the other boys who were eating (to be fair, if the handout says no food, don't let kids eat food. Obviously 2 year olds are going to want a part of it).


3 minutes later the front desk girl starts looking around, and goes to find Jason. 


3 minutes later he comes to find me.


1 minutes later we go to find the children and relieve the poor girl attempting to corral our children from the terror they are wreaking on her daycare room. 


For those that were adding, that is exactly 15 minutes. That is exactly how long we made it at the Y daycare today.


Next time I am playing ignorant and exclaiming loudly, "who's kid is that anyway"?

Hospital Hubbub

Hi all. Sorry for the serious gap in postings, things have been a little crazy around here. One of the brats, Collin, had surgery on Wednesday so we were busy getting ready for that. Nothing too serious, he had Brachial Cleft Cyst, and we have known about it since the summer (when it got infected and he spent the entire 4th of July holiday weekend in the hospital), and now it has finally been removed (along with a few infected lymph nodes it was hidden amongst).


So, for anyone who ever finds themselves in the hospital, here is an entry on a few helpful hints and facts for both the unexpected visit, and the planned one.


1. Never go on a holiday weekend. I know, I know, you can't help it if you have to. But dealing with a skeleton crew and a new doctor every 12 hours made getting any information hard, and it doesn't stay consistent if its a new persons perspective every time (On this note, a quick shout out to my Aunt and Uncle, who came out to visit and helped us get the answers we needed. Mwah).


2. The ER is terrible with children's IV's. Request someone from Peds to come do it if possible. They put an adult sized board under his arm to keep it from bending and him pulling out the IV. For starters, it was basically a weapon since the board when about 6 inches past his fingers. He was also very uncomfortable and hated it on his arm, and he still managed to pull out the IV at least once. The Peds nurses are of course much better at this since it is what they do, and just put in the little IV and wrapped some of that gauze looking wrap around his hand and arm to keep it in and safe, but still let him use his arm. This made for a much, much happier baby.


3. NEVER check your kids' symptoms online. It gives you terrible, frightening results. Like genetic disorders and cancer. Terrifying. You will never sleep again.


4. Stay calm. I know, it's hard. But the only way we made it through was by calming down, getting our thoughts together, and taking it one moment at a time. There is no time for freaking out. It scares you and the child. So stop, take a deep breathe, and drink a Venti Starbucks (works for me anyway). Also, a shower. Find a way, because you will feel way better (and those around you will appreciate it).


5. Ask questions. Write them down if you need to. We didn't have our thoughts together the first day (see number 4) and didn't ask enough of the right people, and the wrong people don't know the answers. So write them down and ask them all, none of them are silly when it is your child.


6. This is special, because we have twins. But, never underestimate how much better they will both feel (the one in the hospital, and the one at home with the grandparents or sitter or whoever) if they get to see each other. Letting ours play together in Collin's room and the Peds play area made all the difference for both, they both felt better. Remember, they have a special connection.




So, if you have a planned visit.... And ours was only one day....


1. Get all of the info. Not from online. See above about online searches of illness.


2. Be ready. Have your ID, your child's insurance, the paperwork and whatever else you need all ready to go. They hate it when you have to scramble, I know because I did and I got a dirty look the first time we weren't ready for something. By this appointment I was set and they loved me.


3. Remember those special things for you child. Ours have blankies, and special stuffed animals, so Collin's came with him. And we brought a Mickey DVD and our computer to play it on, as well as some books and other toys. Sure, you both have 2 bags with you for just one kid, but they are happy when they can play with their own toys. We may have made a mess, but we cleaned up after ourselves, and Collin actually had a lot of fun playing and watching his Mickey movie before the procedure.


4. Same as above, stay calm and ask questions. Its your kid, if your doctor walks in and says something wrong (like he might think he is doing surgery on his ear, not his neck......) be sure you call them out. Then talk to the nurse and make sure that they have everything right in the chart, too.


5. Anesthesia makes kids act hi-lar-i-ous. So bring a video camera. I wish I had so I could have captured the rolling and giggling and drunk looking eyes. But watch out for the falling down.


Also, you can doctor shop. Find the one you like and feel comfortable with. Ours was not a people person, but he was excellent. I mean, he doesn't make eye contact and wears one of those silver disc things on the head band which is really, really strange. But he was good at what he does, kept us informed, and answered all of our questions. Sometimes, the weirdest ones make the best surgeons.








Hope that this might help someone. Feel free to send questions or comments, but it is what I have learned through Collin's trips to the hospital over this cyst.

Dance Dance Dance

One of our favorite past times, other than staring blankly at Mickey Mouse, is dancing. The boys cannot get enough of it. They dance to everything - the music on Disney shows, country, pop; they really have very varied and sophisticated tastes in music. Chris has even started singing "Imma Be" by the Black Eyed Peas himself and dancing in circles to it. At first I thought he was singing "mama mama mama" but I was wrong, it's definitely"Imma Imma Imma". 


This brings me to Sunday night's big event - the Grammy's. I have now watched every performance from the Grammy's at least 4 times. And I have watched the muppet filled Cee Lo Green and Gwenneth Paltrow performance of 'Forget You' approximately 9000 times (good thing I love this song. And Gwenny Paltrow).  Not only does it involve a song to dance to, but the muppets and brightly colored costume Mr. Green himself is wearing (what is that by the way? The child of Big Bird and a peacock? I'm still really confused here). 


Their second favorite performance is one Miss Katy Perry. Strike that, Mrs. Katy Perry Brand. Did you hear that? That was the sound of my childrens' hearts breaking, because they are hopelessly in love with her. One time they even stared at a Pro Active commercial when she was in it. Its probably the only performance they don't dance to, because they are too busy staring at her in awe. Its cute, but not really the first crush I would pick for them (but Isabella from Phineas and Ferb is running in a close second, I'm not allowed to sing when she sings during the tv show either).


So maybe we don't jam out to Beethoven or the good, brain powering classical music, but we are jamming. And I would say we probably dance a solid hour or 2 on any given day. I also think this will be my excuse for buying Just Dance for our Wii - we can all dance together. Seems like the perfect mommy and me activity to me! We can sing and dance! And get scored on it - just to bring out that little competitive edge in them.

Your Baby Can Read, update

Well we have been going at Your Baby Can Read for what, 3 weeks or so now? So far, they aren't reading  Shakespeare or anything like that, but I feel like maybe thats a month 2 kind of step. First we have to master the classics - Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights. The easy ones, obviously.


But, on a serious note, I think that it is starting to make a real impact on the brats. They might not be sitting down reading by themselves, but they have a huge increase in their desire to be read to. We went from reading 20 or 30 minutes a day to reading books for probably close to 2 hours a day. Sure, I am sick of finding out what the Brown Bear is seeing, but they aren't yet. Spoiler alert - its a red bird. They are constantly picking out books and bringing them to us to read, or are picking up books and looking at the pictures and going through them by themselves - which is extremely cute.


On top of the increased desire to read, they are actually starting to recognize some words. So far, they have recognized or read the words (off the flashcards that come with the system): Hi, Dog, Cat, Clap, Wave, and Elephant. They have also started using the words that are used in the first video or on the flashcards more often - they say Hi, or say Wave when they wave, and know words like gorilla and reach. Elephant is also Chris' favorite new word and he walks around the house with a stuffed elephant saying out loud "ephant" over and over and over. Precious. Also, getting old - but mostly precious. 


So, over all, I think it has been a really good thing thus far. They are learning new words and actually using those words daily, and have even started recognizing the written words. The only downside we have is that the videos aren't quite exciting enough to keep their attention for very long. To combat that, I have started putting them in their mini recliners with some juice and a snack to try to keep them still for at least the majority of it. If they don't sit and watch it, I don't turn it off - I remember reading somewhere that just because they don't look like they are paying attention, doesn't mean they aren't getting the information. So we just let it finish itself out, and they do stop and watch for some of it, and for some of it they run or play or wrestle each other. But whatever they are picking up on it seems to be working out. And they seem to be enjoying it!


More to come. For more frequent updates on the brats and YBCR, follow my twitter :) twitter.com/twinsanity2009

Learning to take turns.

OH. MY. LORD.


I never thought that learning something as simple as learning to wait for your turn would be so terrible. There are lots of skills the brats are really good at - sharing, helping, etc. They share toys and give toys to other children really well (side effect of always having to share, I guess!). They help each other do everything - color, build block towers, find things. But today, at gymnastics, we had to really start waiting for our own turn.


The brats have been in gymnastics for 6 months or so now. They love it, all you have to say is gymnastics and they run around finding their shoes and coats yelling "nastics, nastics, nastics". It's amazing. And until this week, the class consisted of the boys and 2 little girls (one is there every week, one comes every other week). They love the girls there, they say their names and wave and try to kiss them (the girls do not appreciate the love, but the brats insist on giving it). 


And then today, all of the sudden, 4 more girls in the class. So other than realizing that girls are seriously outnumbering the girls here, we also have to wait a little longer to do anything. Sure, when we are going around an obstacle course there is no problem, just keep going (or keep doing the 1 thing they really like over and over, at least). But when its time to jump on a the trampoline, or swing on the bar, obviously they won't all fit (safely) at once. So you have to wait. And the waiting is not something we are enjoying.


You know that moment, when your kid is screaming his head off when you are surrounding by a room full of quiet, well behave children? That is what my morning was like. Granted, the boys are at least 6 months younger than any other child in that class. But it was not pretty. I tried talking, holding, playing tickling, anything to keep them from screaming "JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!" and flailing around as I kept them from line jumping. It reminded me a little of the first time we went to our library's weekly play group, where we play for an hour then clean up and have a story read. The play part was great, the actual story reading was great - but that 10 minutes of clean up was a disaster. As parents cleaned up (because what child really does clean up after themselves at 2?), most of the boys and girls watched or helped a little. Mine clung to the ankles of the cleaners and cried for the toys to be given back. They even stole the toys from the shelves to continue playing and tried to hide in corners with them. 


But thats another story, for another day.


After a while today I just sent them off to climb on mats, letting them be completely distracted for a while. While its not ideal, I think thats what we will be doing for part of the time. Wait in lines for as long as we can, then go do something to stay distracted. At least for now we are in a morning class while there is no one else in the gym :)

Double the....

Tantrums. 


Today's double is tantrums. Specifically, ones that make me believe our terrible twos have hit early and this is all I have to look forward to, every day, for the next couple of years.


The things that cause the tantrums are what surprise me the most. Such as, this morning Chris' slippers fell off. Now, if you don't already know this, you should be aware that my brats are obsessed with all things shoe-related. Socks, shoes, slippers, footed pajamas. You name it, they love it. So, when the slippers fell off, he held them up and said "please" and I went to put them back on. I know, you're thinking, what a wonderful mommy. I thought so, too. Then, as I put the first slipper on his foot, you would have thought I had really been sticking him with pins and needles. Meltdown city. Screaming, crying, kicking, throwing the slippers. My bad, buddy, I assumed when you held them up and said "please" you wanted me to put them back on.


Other things that cause tantrums: 
Lady Gaga's "telephone", because apparently singing "stop calling" sounds too much like "stop, Collin."
Having a wet diaper and wanting a new one
Actually getting the new diaper put on
Pants being taken off to put the diaper on
Pants being put back on after the new diaper is on
Taking off our pajamas
Putting on our pajamas
Reading books
Not reading books
Not reading books in whatever way I am supposed to be
Chicken nuggets
Not getting chicken nuggets
Milk
Juice
Water
The dog
The cat
The dog and the cat playing
The dog and the cat not playing
Going to bed
Getting out of bed
What I say
How I say it
How loud I say it


I think you get the picture. Basically, every 8 seconds someone in this house has a meltdown. Its getting ugly in here. From the minute they wake up, until they actually fall asleep, almost anything can set them off. Now, they can be very pleasant and lots of fun, but lately they are just so quick to throw a tantrum.


When it comes to dealing with the tantrums, we are trying different things. Fights over toys (stealing from their brother) has been dealt with in a 2 step process - first we try to find them something else to play with. And 1 minute later when they decide they still want the toy their brother has and go fight for it, they go to a 1 minute time out. Neither of these options are really working for us.


When it comes to meltdowns over silly things, like slippers or the dog not playing with his rope toy the very second they want him to, I tend to let them alone and allow them to work it out themselves, unless they want a hug or something along those lines.


When it comes to food, its just too bad buddy. What I make for dinner is what is for dinner. Not every meal can consist of cheerios and banana slices, no matter how hard you wish it true. Usually they give up and eat whats in front of them, and then I reward them with some yogurt or those Gerber cheeto puff things. But it has taken meals from a 20 minute thing, to a 45 minute ordeal.


Oh terrible twos. Twice the tantrums, twice the screaming, twice the volume level. 

Deals Deals Deals!

I found a new website for fun baby/kid/mom things!


http://mamabargains.com  Kind of like a woot off, they put items up at a great price, and do 1 at a time until the item runs out. Once one item runs out, a new one is up for grabs! They have had snow boots, shoes, clothes, diaper bags, weekender bags, etc etc. Its pretty awesome! Be sure to check it out!


On that note, today at:


kids.woot.com you can get a Cybex 2010 Topaz Stroller for $89.99 in 5 different colors
1saleaday.com/family you can get pillow pets for $1


Also Carters Spring time sale is coming up, buy 1 get 1 free on springtime tees, knit shorts, and baby slogan bodysuits. And watch your mail for their springtime 20% off coupons, good through February 21st. We will be using ours at the outlet for extra savings :) 


Old Navy has put out their springtime clothes too, starting at $6.50 and you can check the online sales for last years shirts/shorts at almost half the cost too :)

Brats in Beds, Busted!

Well, we have received our video monitor, and let me just say that it is quite possibly the best invention ever. I love it. I mean, remember when you were little and people would say "if you love it so much, why don't you marry it?" Well, I would.


Not only has the video monitor helped us with keeping the brats actually in their beds at night, but it has really enlightened us as to what goes on when we aren't in there.


For instance, who knew that Collin was climbing on top of the changing table? Certainly not us. If I had to guess, he climbed over the bed rail, using the laundry basket as leverage to crawl up the side of the changing table and sit on top of it. And we almost didn't catch this! If the monitor hadn't slid a little bit, I never would have noticed the little fingers holding on to the side. Needless to say, the laundry basket has been moved.


However, I think they are on to us. They have started testing us to see what it takes for us to come in. First you see a little foot dangle over the side of the bed. Then a pillow or stuffed animal falls to the ground (which, by the way, looks really creepy as it falls). Then a blanket slowly makes its way over the bed rail. And, eventually, one of the brats. And they know whats coming, they stand there, and look at the door, just waiting for us to come in and get them. It always makes me think of Shawshank Redemption, when he escapes the prison towards the end. Only I am a much better warden and figure it out faster. And it is way more sanitary. Plus, it opens up a new window of possible pajamas:






From this point, when we wait to see what happens, they pick up everything they can carry in their little arms and book it for their brothers bed. We have let this happen a few times, but as it turns out, Collin is always the escapee running for Chris' bed, and Chris does not like to share his sleeping space. But it is adorable for the first 15 seconds before Chris gets mad and screams for Collin being in his bad.


So, as you can see, not only is the monitor extremely helpful for us in the whole "getting used to big boy beds" thing, but extremely entertaining. If we can find a way to upload some of the footage of them acting like convicts escaping from prison, we will, because it is hilarious.

Picky Eaters Anonymous

Ok, so this might not be a club yet, but I am starting one for my brats, and any other picky toddlers out there.


I don't know what happened. For months they were fantastic eaters, gobbling down just about everything we handed to them. Meats, green veggies, crackers, fruits, all of it. It was glorious. The speed with which they could shove handfuls of carrots into their mouths was amazing (someone remind me to ask Guinness Book of Records what the current record is, we may have beaten it!). They ate chicken, pork, fish - fried, grilled, baked. I was the happiest Chef Mommy in the world.


Then, one day, everything changed. The brats now desire a diet of strictly graham crackers, pancakes, yogurt, juice, and orange slices. Not even peanut better crackers will do, they won't touch apples, and their once beloved carrots get shoved to the corner of the tray and neglected.


I have used cookie cutters to cut sandwiches, made a hot dog look like an octopus, and bought those chicken nuggets that look like dinosaurs. I even tried to hide veggies in spaghetti sauce - it's like they can smell a vegetable a mile away. Who knew babies had such a fantastic ability to distinguish one food from another.


And then there's times where they show promise. We went out to a Japanese Steakhouse over the Christmas holiday, and Chris ate an adult size portion of rice and Collin couldn't get enough of the vegetables. We get back, I make rice and cook up some veggies on the stove with some soy sauce and such - nothing. I guess unless I am going to flip my knives and create an onion volcano, they just aren't going to go for it.


So now I am left with half eaten meals, one very happy dog who gets to eat everything they throw off their trays, and 2 hungry toddlers because they refuse to eat anything I give them. Looks like we will be having many "breakfast for dinner" nights in my house for a while.


PS helpful hints on getting picky toddlers to eat are much appreciated, I have tried everything I can find in magazines and online. I guess the brats read those articles too, because they are prepared for anything I try.

Your Baby Can Read, Day 1

We finally found a complete set of Your Baby Can Read that is actually affordable, and it arrived today!


So, as we try this out with the brats, I will update everyone to know how its going. 


So, if you don't know how the system works (I didn't until today), theres 5 dvd's, and you watch each one about a month, periodically going back to the older ones. So we are on Day 1 of DVD 1. And I will be seeing this DVD 2-3 times a day for the next 30 days. I'm super excited? Then there are also flashcards that have words from the dvd's on them, then you can pull out the end and it shows a picture of the word or phrase. The last component is a flip page book, where the first page shows the word, then you can flip the page to see a picture of the word as well as a sentence using it.


First impression of the dvd/system is this. I can definitely see how it holds babies' attention-- the songs, the pictures, the animals, the bright colors. The 'prime' age to start the system is younger than the boys, and I think they definitely would have been more interested a few months ago. But they did pay attention through most of the dvd (which is only about 20 minutes), which I thought was impressive since the only things that ever hold their attention for more than 3 minutes is a) the toy their brother has that they want desperately but can't have (and would lose interest in after 2 minutes if they did have it) and, obviously, b) Mickey Mouse.


So they spent 15 or so minutes watching the video, where they saw and heard words like cat, dog, elephant, wave, clap etc, and saw pictures of animals, or video of the actions, etc, and they even danced when they kids on the video sang The Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (did you know that song has a 2nd verse? I sure didn't!). They already know what some of the words mean (clap, wave, arms up) and they know what animals look like and what they say, but none the less they seemed interested in the video and enjoyed mimicking what they saw on tv, and did hear/see new words as well.


So, do I think they will master the works William Shakespeare by Preschool? No. But, do I think that it will start to help improve and expand their vocabulary, and hopefully help them learn to read as well? Yes, most definitely. 


I guess we will see! More to come as we progress through the months and the system! If you have any experience with any of this, feel free to share, I would love to know what other parents think of it!

It's a singleton world, and we're just living in it.

Have you ever walked through a Babies R Us and looked around? Sure, all you underachievers who only have one baby at a time might think it has everything you could ever need. Now look again, at the aisle after aisle of cribs, strollers, etc. See any doubles? Oh thats right, theres that one jogging stroller over there (which PS does look awesome and I kind of want, but thats besides the point.) See any strollers that fit 2 infant car seats? See any of the twin pack n plays? No? You don't? Do you know where you have to go to buy those things? Online. Or a speciality store but good luck finding those. And I can't imagine having to buy for triplets, I have seen one  or two triplet strollers ever, and I look pretty hard for these things.


So, that means, when we shopped for anything, we did it by the online reviews. At least twin parents stick together. We know the best strollers, beds, toys, and, most importantly, the best deals. Because when you are having one baby, and you are buying him/her a beautiful crib and the price doesn't seem so terrible, imagine buying 2. You don't even want to, do you.


So, need some help finding these mythical twin related items? Or need some help saving some serious cashola? Well, here's your first hint. Don't google "Twins" because you will just get websites, articles, and pictures of some baseball team, so be sure you type in "Multiples".

                     VS












Now, the best places to find things for twins (from strollers to advice and books), according to me:
JustMultiples.com - All twins and triplets, all the time. Amazing. They have clothes, strollers, car seats, toys, and books on pregnancy, premies, and what to do with these brats you now have.
Twinstuff.com -- you have to join, but it has some good stuff on it. Advice, blogs, articles, etc.
TwinsMagazine.com -- The name pretty much explains it. We subscribe and I follow them on facebook and twitter.


Need some deals?
Babies R Us - when you buy 2 cribs or pieces of furniture (we only bought 2 cribs, the rest we didn't need 2 of, at least not yet!) you get a 10% discount. If you can double this up on something like Black Friday (we did!) you can save even more, and if you open a Toys R Us card you get additional discounts.
Craigslist - I found a changing table for $10. The paint wasn't the color I wanted and was chipped a little, so I sanded it down, painted it, and it was like new. The brats are now 20 months old and we still use it and it still looks great. You can also find pack n plays, strollers, etc. Just be sure to get all of the info first, and don't be afraid to back out if it isn't up to your standards when you see it.
Ebay - We have ordered lots of things from here. They carry lots of strollers, etc and you can find many that are brand new/never used. We have not ordered baby gear from that, but we did get our video monitor and You Baby Can Read from here for about 25% of the retail cost, both brand new (still in original packaging).
Woot.com and kidswoot.com -- love. I check every day to see if theres something we can use. They have things from trains to monitors to tv's and anything else you can think of
1saleaday.com and family.1saleaday.com - also great. And extremely cheap. We just got an Ipod stereo thing for $9 and a toddler basketball hoop for $2.99. They also have a wireless section and a watch/jewelry section if you are into that.
Old Navy - they do lots of 2/$10 or 2/$20 which is great with twins. We wait for their sales and buy online on the free shipping days (if you sign up for their emails, you get codes for additional discounts and/or free shipping, too).
Lastly, get on twitter and start following moms, stores, business's etc. There are people on there there that constantly tweet coupons, codes for discounts, and where the sales are. Find me (twitter.com/twinsanity2009) and go through my "following" list, and you will find many - from CVS and Target to other moms/bloggers who want to help you save.


Good luck :) Also remember, just because it's twins, doesn't mean you need 2 of everything! But thats another blog for another day!


Well, its time to indulge the Mickey obsession with an episode before we go out to play in the snow and freezing cold.

Better You Than Me

In case anyone was wondering why that is in the name of my blog, this is for you!


"Better you than me" is something I have heard approximately 3847634537410 times since we found out I was pregnant with twins. Try to imagine, all you singleton parents out there, when you said you were having a baby, and people looking at with you with a mix of amazement and pity, and say those words to you. Not sure how to feel? It's ok, I didn't either. There were many conflicting thoughts running through my head whenever I heard those 4 little words, sometimes I wanted to scream, sometimes I wanted to punch them in the face, and sometimes I wanted to cry, because I was pretty sure they were right and having twins was about to be awful.


A friend of mine just had twins about a week ago, and I warned her about that phrase and that people love to say it. Maybe because they don't know what else to say, maybe because they are ignorant and don't realize what they are saying isn't actually very nice, or, as I like to believe, they are just really jealous. Because, have you seen my kids? You should be jealous.

But when I was 8 months pregnant and as big as a small barn (not just as big as a house), and people looked at me with that look of pity and said those words, I did not think they were jealous. And, really, they weren't. They were thinking about how time consuming, expensive, and hard it would be to have twins. And it is. But, as it turns out, having twins is also pretty awesome. My brats always have someone else to play with, they always have someone to talk to, they run to each other when they are upset, they always have someone to beat up, or someone get into trouble with when the mood strikes them (which, by the way, they seem to do a lot lately).


So, next time you meet someone having twins, do not say those 4 little words that no one really wants to hear. Because you never know when an exhausted, large as a barn, 8 months pregnant woman might scream in frustration, or just clock you.


And if you are pregnant with twins, and don't want to hear it anymore, just do what I did. When people ask if you're having twins, just say no. Let them think you just really let yourself go during a singleton pregnancy, instead ;)

Follow me on Twitter!

Do it :) 


htp://twitter.com/Twinsanity2009 


I put up updates on what the brats are doing and put up deals I find on kids clothing, bedding, toys, etc etc :)


Such as todays deals:


kids.woot.com -- car seats for $49.99
family.1saleaday.com -- toddler basketball hoop for $2.99
http://www.thecompanystore.com/kids/company-store-kids,default,sc.html -- bedding, clothing, etc on clearance plus use the code AK15FSA for an additional 15% off and free shipping :)

Worshiping a false idol.

I think you all know who I am talking about. Thats right, Mr. Mouse himself. Or, as my brats say, Matchi. I think thats how you would spell it anyway.


This mouse, bless his heart, has calmed even the most furious of fits. It has helped me distract the brats when I need to do things like pay bills, do laundry, or catch up on whats happening with Victor and Nikki on the Young and Restless (If they get remarried, again, I think we will make it a family holiday).


However, over time, I think we have entered into some kind of scary obsession. They stare at the tv when its off (which is most of the day), and say his name. Last week, I let Chris wear a shirt with Mickey on it, and he refused to take it off for 48 hours. You should know, I am one of those 'pick your battles' parents. If he wants to wear a 2 day old Mickey Mouse shirt around the house, what do I care. I finally managed to get it off him by showing him another shirt with both Mickey AND Donald on it. Which was worn for 12 hours until I peeled it off and stuck him in a bath. Where they played with their Mickey bath toys. Sometimes I even think I hear them calling out to Mickey in their sleep. 


Needless to say, I think I am getting worried. But not worried enough to  actually stop watching, wearing, or playing with the brats' idol. I mean, we all have to have heros. At least theirs has a clubhouse, a lake, a pond, a comet, and a park named after him.

Brats in Beds.

The past 6 nights, we have been making our strongest attempt at moving the boys into their toddler beds.

Night one was beautiful. It was amazing. I thought to myself "How do people find this so hard?". At 6am the next morning, when I was being poked in the back of the head with a Tonka truck, I started to understand.

Since then, I've been using my facebook statuses to send out SOS messages, but so far, no one has come to save me. Here's our run down so far:

Brats in Beds: Nap, Day 2: Epic Failure. While they have only come out twice, they have been in there over an hour playing, fighting, climbing, etc.

Brats in Beds: Bedtime, Day 2:found both boys asleep in the middle of their floor with their blankies. 

Beds in Brats Day 3: They were woken up by the cat meowing/howling loudly at 6am. May have to find something better to do with the cat at night, or gag her so she can't make any noise. Naps to come shortly.

Brats in Beds: Day 3: Nap-time Update: Collin is in Chris' bed, Chris is on the floor. Seems like a fair trade to me.

(On Day 4 I was too tired to even update. I may have begun to hallucinate. I can't even remember)

Brats in Beds Day 5: Purchased a video monitor, so I can watch them not sleep.

Brats in Bads, Day 6. When does that video monitor get here, again? Please hurry post office.

 You can see where I am. Sleep deprived  (more so than when they were born. or when we tried cry it out), and praying to the US Postal Service. We all know that that is just futile. I assume the new video monitor/child stalking device will be here in about 5 weeks, knowing how slow our mail runs. So about the time I will probably stop needing it. So, if in 6 weeks, you find yourself needing one, let me know - I will probably have a never opened one for sale.

And as we approach our lunch time, I know afternoon naps are soon to come. Wish me luck, readers, I need it. 

Hi!

Hi everyone! Or, most likely, Hi Mom!


I've had a lot of talk about blogging, or writing a book, or actually remembering to post pictures of my brats on Facebook so our family can actually see them. Well, now that they are 20 months, I think its time to actually make good on those promises. So here we are, blogging.


I'm a 25 year old mom of identical twin boys. Everyday is something new, not always something good, but something new. From runny noses to toys being flushed down the toilet, you get to go through it with me now.


Get excited, and buckle up. It's going to be a long ride until they are old enough to kick out of the house.