Christmas week is finally here. Considering the bombardment of holiday ads started the day after Halloween it seems we've been preparing for this week for a long time. I don't mind, though, as I love this time of year. Now that I have three little ones it's even more exciting seeing the holiday season through their eyes.
Tonight I decided to get baking, and it turned into quite the experience. After doubling a new chocolate chip recipe and discovering they weren't baking right, I remembered I forgot to double a key ingredient. Butter. I dusted off my wounds with flour (a little baking humor) and got right back to it. I made my favorite sugar cookie recipe in hopes of decorating them with big brother tomorrow.
It's easy to get swept away in the busyness of the season. I'm trying my best to slow down to enjoy these moments with the kiddos and my family.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Friday, November 28, 2014
Friday Favorites
Happy Belated Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful, low key holiday at home as a family of five. I spent the entire day in yoga pants. I live in yoga pants at home. Really, I belong on an episode of 'What Not to Wear.'
I cooked a 15 pound turkey for two adults. The beauty of that is leftovers! For days and days. I made my Grandmother's sausage stuffing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and bought a pumpkin pie from my favorite local shop. The twinsies loved everything and gobbled it right up. Big brother, on the other hand, reiterated everything was 'yucky.' Repeatedly. Nothing fills you with gratitude like spending time in the kitchen to hear 'it's yucky' 50 times in one meal. Ahhhh, motherhood. All kidding aside, it was a lovely day with my favorite people. We played on the floor, sang songs and danced, and cuddled. All in all a wonderful day. I'm thankful for time as a family of five.
Today I'm linking up for the first time to another blog for Friday Favorites. In honor of Black Friday shopping, I figured this was apropos. I'm a big fan of inexpensive, quality clothing for the kiddos. While I'll spend more money on special outfits for holidays or major events, day-to-day my trio wears comfy, cozy, and pocketbook friendly attire.
ONE
Big brother is hard on clothes, especially pants, and I don't like spending a lot when they'll get ripped or stained. Carters Microfleece Pants are perfect for him and only $5 today. What a deal!
TWO
Carter's has amazing deals for Black Friday that I have to add another favorite. Their Microfleece Zip-front Jacket is also only $5. You can never have too many warm yet light jackets.
THREE
The twinsies can't be left out of the deals today, and Carter's has several great options. I like to put the girls in casual clothes during the week, and this top has just the right amount of gold detail for a casual outfit.
FOUR
Since I'm knocking it out of the park saving money on the littles, I started looking around for workout pants for me. I'm still determined to lose the baby weight. These look like yoga pants met jeans. Comfy but oh so cute.
Happy Black Friday shopping from the comforts of my living room!
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Twin Mom Humor
Since multiples, and especially twins, are relatively common these days I never imagined the attention we'd get when out in public. People are fascinated by twins it seems, and the questions strangers come up with never ceases to amaze.
"Are they twins?" is usually the first one I get. Then followed by "are they identical?"
Lately I keep hearing "look at those twin boys!" Even when they're dressed in head-to-toe pink or purple. No, my twins aren't boys. Evidently people haven't seen baby girls without hair before.
Last but not least I've heard "you have your hands full" more times than I can count. Most of the time it's an innocuous comment from a well-intentioned stranger. Other times, though, it's involved an eye roll and a look of disgust. One day I was in Michael's craft store pushing my twins around a woman came around the corner and looked down at my daughters with such disgust that it shocked me. Now that I think about it, maybe she was more disgusted by my unclean yoga pants and baby spit up covering my shirt…
Moms of multiples have to keep some semblance of a sense of humor. Otherwise we'd lose our mind in the chaos and naturally overwhelming nature of keeping tiny humans alive.
"Are they twins?" is usually the first one I get. Then followed by "are they identical?"
Lately I keep hearing "look at those twin boys!" Even when they're dressed in head-to-toe pink or purple. No, my twins aren't boys. Evidently people haven't seen baby girls without hair before.
Last but not least I've heard "you have your hands full" more times than I can count. Most of the time it's an innocuous comment from a well-intentioned stranger. Other times, though, it's involved an eye roll and a look of disgust. One day I was in Michael's craft store pushing my twins around a woman came around the corner and looked down at my daughters with such disgust that it shocked me. Now that I think about it, maybe she was more disgusted by my unclean yoga pants and baby spit up covering my shirt…
Moms of multiples have to keep some semblance of a sense of humor. Otherwise we'd lose our mind in the chaos and naturally overwhelming nature of keeping tiny humans alive.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Everything Is Under Control, Right?
This morning was epic. An epic failure that is. Yes, I'm being dramatic. Kind of.
Weekend mornings in our house are pretty chaotic with three kiddos under three. Changing diapers, feeding breakfast, cleaning up the breakfast mess, and getting everyone dressed isn't for the faint at heart. But I was determined to be organized and get out the door at a reasonable time to do something I dread - hit Costco on a weekend. With an almost three year old in tow.
Much to my surprise we made it out the door and were well on our way to Costco when I realized problem #1 - I lost my Costco card. Luckily a quick trip to customer service resolved that problem. Then big brother and I made our way through the store as he asked repeatedly "what's this, Mommy?" After hearing this question for the twentieth time in aisle #2 I started to question my decision to go on this adventure today.
We were swiftly moving through the store, at least as fast as you can go with a toddler and a cart full of stuff, when an older man stopped asking if I dropped a hat a few aisles back. While I wasn't looking big brother tossed his favorite blue hat out the cart. Much to my surprise, this kind man went searching for the hat and told me to keep shopping.
After an hour of shopping I made my way to the checkout line, and the cashier rang up all $350 of my stuff. How much of it I needed and was worth the money was questionable at best, but at least I was ready to go. Riiiiight. I handed my credit card over to the cashier and was greeted with words I didn't want to hear, "we don't accept Visa or Mastercard, ma'am." Cue the deer in headlights look on my part. I searched my wallet for a debit card (oh yeah, the one that went missing in my house weeks ago) or a check. Yup, nothing there. Only me, a very eager toddler wanting to leave, and an embarrassingly large heap of food that I couldn't pay for.
I took a deep breath and looked around me. The cashier was growing impatient and the Mom standing behind me in line was glaring and rolling her eyes. As if I had planned to create this situation on purpose. Tears of embarrassment and frustration started welling up so I picked up big brother and walked out of Costco with no groceries and a little less pride. As we walked out I heard on the walkie talkie the security guard was holding that a little boy's hat was found, and the manager came running over with big brother's favorite blue hat.
It wasn't the morning I planned on having yet it was a good lesson in kindness. Whether you're a Mom of multiples or a singleton it doesn't really matter. We're all just pushing ourselves through life trying to take care of our families. My load was particularly heavy today for a variety of reasons, mostly because I'm deep in worry about health issues with our twins, and the judgement I saw in the other Mom's eyes stung. When we see a stranger out and about, none of us know the load she is carrying that day. Patience and a kind heart go a long way when you encounter a Mom struggling with a toddler throwing a tantrum or a cart full of food and no money.
Big brother and I brushed off the morning's frustration with a latte and his favorite banana bread at our local coffee shop. After all, they take Visa and Mastercard.
Weekend mornings in our house are pretty chaotic with three kiddos under three. Changing diapers, feeding breakfast, cleaning up the breakfast mess, and getting everyone dressed isn't for the faint at heart. But I was determined to be organized and get out the door at a reasonable time to do something I dread - hit Costco on a weekend. With an almost three year old in tow.
Much to my surprise we made it out the door and were well on our way to Costco when I realized problem #1 - I lost my Costco card. Luckily a quick trip to customer service resolved that problem. Then big brother and I made our way through the store as he asked repeatedly "what's this, Mommy?" After hearing this question for the twentieth time in aisle #2 I started to question my decision to go on this adventure today.
We were swiftly moving through the store, at least as fast as you can go with a toddler and a cart full of stuff, when an older man stopped asking if I dropped a hat a few aisles back. While I wasn't looking big brother tossed his favorite blue hat out the cart. Much to my surprise, this kind man went searching for the hat and told me to keep shopping.
After an hour of shopping I made my way to the checkout line, and the cashier rang up all $350 of my stuff. How much of it I needed and was worth the money was questionable at best, but at least I was ready to go. Riiiiight. I handed my credit card over to the cashier and was greeted with words I didn't want to hear, "we don't accept Visa or Mastercard, ma'am." Cue the deer in headlights look on my part. I searched my wallet for a debit card (oh yeah, the one that went missing in my house weeks ago) or a check. Yup, nothing there. Only me, a very eager toddler wanting to leave, and an embarrassingly large heap of food that I couldn't pay for.
I took a deep breath and looked around me. The cashier was growing impatient and the Mom standing behind me in line was glaring and rolling her eyes. As if I had planned to create this situation on purpose. Tears of embarrassment and frustration started welling up so I picked up big brother and walked out of Costco with no groceries and a little less pride. As we walked out I heard on the walkie talkie the security guard was holding that a little boy's hat was found, and the manager came running over with big brother's favorite blue hat.
It wasn't the morning I planned on having yet it was a good lesson in kindness. Whether you're a Mom of multiples or a singleton it doesn't really matter. We're all just pushing ourselves through life trying to take care of our families. My load was particularly heavy today for a variety of reasons, mostly because I'm deep in worry about health issues with our twins, and the judgement I saw in the other Mom's eyes stung. When we see a stranger out and about, none of us know the load she is carrying that day. Patience and a kind heart go a long way when you encounter a Mom struggling with a toddler throwing a tantrum or a cart full of food and no money.
Big brother and I brushed off the morning's frustration with a latte and his favorite banana bread at our local coffee shop. After all, they take Visa and Mastercard.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Holiday Bucket List
Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. My goal was to complete all my Christmas shopping by the time Turkey Day arrived. I'm about 80% there which is pretty amazing given everything else on my plate. I even already have my Christmas cards sitting here waiting to be stamped and addressed. Given the fact last November I was only getting 2-3 hours of sleep at one time, it feels good to have life more under control.
Between now and New Year's Day time will fly by. Our social calendar is quickly filling up with work and parties for the kiddos. It's all great fun but it's easy to get so caught up in being busy that we don't do all the things we really want to do. That's why I'm crafting a family holiday bucket list. It's an experiment to see if it helps us stay focused on some fun things in the midst of all the holiday craziness. Drum roll please…
1. Photos with Santa - last year the twins were too small and fragile to go out during cold/flu season. Then when we took big brother to see Santa he was closed for a 90 minute lunch break. Santa was a bah-humbug last year.
2. Drive-through Christmas light display - a town nearby has a great light display in their park and a festival with rides.
3. Train display - Big brother is in love with everything choo-choo related. He'd love to visit one of the holiday train displays in our area.
4. Art project - I'm no Pinterest Mom. In fact, I've never done a single project with the kids based on a Pinterest idea. Big brother would enjoy doing an art project, and I'd like to have a momento to keep. Win-win.
5. Bake cookies - last year was too busy with newborn twins to focus on baking. It's something I truly enjoy, and I want to start creating traditions with the kiddos. Big brother is at the age he'll enjoy helping a little with cookies.
It's not an overly ambitious list, but it's a start. You gotta start somewhere, right?
Between now and New Year's Day time will fly by. Our social calendar is quickly filling up with work and parties for the kiddos. It's all great fun but it's easy to get so caught up in being busy that we don't do all the things we really want to do. That's why I'm crafting a family holiday bucket list. It's an experiment to see if it helps us stay focused on some fun things in the midst of all the holiday craziness. Drum roll please…
1. Photos with Santa - last year the twins were too small and fragile to go out during cold/flu season. Then when we took big brother to see Santa he was closed for a 90 minute lunch break. Santa was a bah-humbug last year.
2. Drive-through Christmas light display - a town nearby has a great light display in their park and a festival with rides.
3. Train display - Big brother is in love with everything choo-choo related. He'd love to visit one of the holiday train displays in our area.
4. Art project - I'm no Pinterest Mom. In fact, I've never done a single project with the kids based on a Pinterest idea. Big brother would enjoy doing an art project, and I'd like to have a momento to keep. Win-win.
5. Bake cookies - last year was too busy with newborn twins to focus on baking. It's something I truly enjoy, and I want to start creating traditions with the kiddos. Big brother is at the age he'll enjoy helping a little with cookies.
It's not an overly ambitious list, but it's a start. You gotta start somewhere, right?
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Not Enough Hours in the Day
Clearly I need to figure out how to make time to write blog posts. Maybe my blog should be called 'Managing my Time' instead of 'Managing Multiples.' There's never enough time in the day for everyone's needs let alone my own. I know, I know. Wah, wah, wahhhh.
This weekend I'm going to sit down to wrap my head around what I need to get done, what I should get done, and more importantly what I want to get done. Taking the time to write and explore some creative ideas is something I want to do, but it hasn't been bumped up to the 'need to do' list. That needs to change. Soon.
This weekend I'm going to sit down to wrap my head around what I need to get done, what I should get done, and more importantly what I want to get done. Taking the time to write and explore some creative ideas is something I want to do, but it hasn't been bumped up to the 'need to do' list. That needs to change. Soon.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Preemies - Developmental Delays
As an extremely Type-A and achievement focused woman, it's taken a lot of effort to make peace with the pace at which my twins develop. It's far too easy these days to get caught up in what milestones they should be hitting on the timeline I want them to meet. Figuring out how to handle life when it doesn't go exactly as planned has been a huge learning lesson.
My girls are currently getting physical and occupational therapy due to the severity of their gross motor delays. Most days it doesn't bother me one bit. They're my little girls whom I love to the moon and back. That I have no doubt about. Yet I find myself struggling at times with a little pang I feel deep inside when outside the bubble of our home life.
Tonight I felt that familiar pang. I was out to dinner with a colleague and friend I hadn't seen in several years. During the course of the conversation she started rattling off questions about the girls. Nothing out of the ordinary or intrusive. Just things like "are you busy now that they're both walking?" Walking. Cue the pang.
Neither of the twins is walking at 13 months. They're working on skills like pulling up to standing and transitioning from crawling to a seated position. Since starting their therapy, both have quickly learned new skills and are already showing progress. It's amazing to watch them learn so quickly. We have been given no reason but to be optimistic they'll catch up soon. But the pang surfaces every so often.
The pang is a mixture of sadness and anger the girls have to work harder than other babies their age to do basic things. In the grand scheme of things, I consciously know and recognize how blessed we are they're happy and healthy. My head gets it, but my heart doesn't get it. I've found myself fighting back tears when in physical therapy with my one daughter. She was growing visibly frustrated with some of the positions the therapist was putting her in. The pang of guilt and sadness reared it's ugly head.
No mother looks at her children and wishes life will be hard for them. Quite the opposite, I think. When I feel the pang, I think a part of me wishes I could fix things for my girls. I want to wave Mommy's magic wand and make it so there was never any NICU time or therapies or worries. Having babies in the NICU forced me to recognize from day one that I can't fix or control everything. This Mommy doesn't have a magic wand in her toolkit. No matter how much I wish I did at times.
Thankfully the pang doesn't usually last long. It passes. I take a deep breath, explain briefly how the girls are doing and move on. No magic wand required.
My girls are currently getting physical and occupational therapy due to the severity of their gross motor delays. Most days it doesn't bother me one bit. They're my little girls whom I love to the moon and back. That I have no doubt about. Yet I find myself struggling at times with a little pang I feel deep inside when outside the bubble of our home life.
Tonight I felt that familiar pang. I was out to dinner with a colleague and friend I hadn't seen in several years. During the course of the conversation she started rattling off questions about the girls. Nothing out of the ordinary or intrusive. Just things like "are you busy now that they're both walking?" Walking. Cue the pang.
Neither of the twins is walking at 13 months. They're working on skills like pulling up to standing and transitioning from crawling to a seated position. Since starting their therapy, both have quickly learned new skills and are already showing progress. It's amazing to watch them learn so quickly. We have been given no reason but to be optimistic they'll catch up soon. But the pang surfaces every so often.
The pang is a mixture of sadness and anger the girls have to work harder than other babies their age to do basic things. In the grand scheme of things, I consciously know and recognize how blessed we are they're happy and healthy. My head gets it, but my heart doesn't get it. I've found myself fighting back tears when in physical therapy with my one daughter. She was growing visibly frustrated with some of the positions the therapist was putting her in. The pang of guilt and sadness reared it's ugly head.
No mother looks at her children and wishes life will be hard for them. Quite the opposite, I think. When I feel the pang, I think a part of me wishes I could fix things for my girls. I want to wave Mommy's magic wand and make it so there was never any NICU time or therapies or worries. Having babies in the NICU forced me to recognize from day one that I can't fix or control everything. This Mommy doesn't have a magic wand in her toolkit. No matter how much I wish I did at times.
Thankfully the pang doesn't usually last long. It passes. I take a deep breath, explain briefly how the girls are doing and move on. No magic wand required.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Milestones - Parenting Edition
We recently experienced a big milestone in our household - the first overnight away from the kids. Considering our twins are 13 months old this was a long overdue and much needed night away. With no family in the area, it's challenging finding someone we trust just for a date night let alone an overnight. It's taken me, more so than the Hubs, some time to work up to feeling comfortable leaving for the night.
Truth be told, it was a work colleague and friend that convinced me to take this step. She encouraged me to find more time for both myself and our marriage. It's easy to lose yourself in parenting. There's no doubt both the Hubs and I have lost sight of taking care of ourselves and our marriage in the past 2 years.
In the end, we decided to leave all 3 kids with the twin's nanny. Consciously I understand the twins spend a considerable amount of time with her during the work week. But for some reason it felt differently to think about leaving them at night. While it's hard to admit, and I recognize how irrational it was, I spent far too much time worrying about things like a fire or a burglar in the days leading up to the overnight. I know something catastrophic can happen during the day (e.g. a fire) just as easy as at night. My head just wasn't matching my heart on this one.
Thankfully everything went amazingly well. The Hubs and I had good old-fashioned adult fun (read: dinner, drinks and dancing) in the city with friends. Just having a break from changing 3 diapers was treat enough so everything else was icing on the cake. We woke up to enjoy breakfast in bed, and I sipped my coffee while reading the Sunday paper. A luxury that never happens at home.
Now that we've reached this milestone, we're looking at other ways to focus more on self-care. It's not easy carving out time for everything and everyone that needs to be taken care of in a day. Managing multiples is exhaustingly awesome. The Hubs and I need to remind each other and ourselves to recharge once in awhile.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Day One
Now that we've survived (barely at times!) the first year of raising twins and a singleton I find myself treading water enough to start wondering about new interest and hobbies. You know, things to think about besides diapers, bottles, nap schedules, and laundry. After back-to-back fertility treatments, pregnancies, and adjusting to life with three little ones under age three, I'm feeling ready to get some of myself back. It's time to reacquaint myself with the new me. The new me who looks around and realizes life looks nothing like how I imagined it would be as a thirty-something year old Mom. It's better and harder than I ever thought it could be.
Life these days is hectic and stressful enough that I rarely have enough bandwidth at the end of the day to process my own thoughts, dreams, ideas, and fears. Yet I feel the urge to find the time and more importantly, the mental space, to make myself do it. This blog is going to be my white space, my white board. A place where I can throw ideas and thoughts out there in a space that's all my own.
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