Twins Mommy

Bree’s eyes

We have another appt to get Bree’s eyes checked for her strabismus. However, it is not for a few weeks. For awhile it appeared they were getting better. Now, we are finding her strong eye is starting to cross in too.

Before we have been seeing one of the two specialists in the area. He gets the job done, but isn’t very personal. He also just has us come back every 6 months. To me, I felt this was too long. Especially at the beginning! We have been in again since then and ended up with bi-focals. I just don’t feel like he is doing what he needs to for her. When I asked him if we could try patching, he basically looked at me like I was crazy.

I have to listen to my gut. So, we are going to switch.

I tried to call this afternoon… but like every other business in this area, they were already closed. So, I’ll program the number into my phone and try again next Monday.

Fruit Flies?!!!

Yes, I am making another post about some pesky pests… but this one is a tip!

First, did you know fruit flies hatch in under 48 hours? Also, one fly can lay about 300 eggs!!!!! Finally, they come in on your fruit… as eggs in the peel. Pretty gross.

Anyway, like many people who have fresh fruit and vegetables, fruit flies seem to run rampant as soon as summer begins. They have been a thorn in my side for years. I tried many different “natural” solutions, but no luck… UNTIL…

Put a piece of fruit (bananas work great) in the bottom of a glass or clean jar (not pickle jar because the odor lingers and the flies won’t be attracted. Then, put plastic wrap over the top of the glass. Make sure it is smoothly sealed down. Then, poke a few holes in the top with a pencil or knife. The flies can crawl in, but can’t figure out how to get out! Just make sure you empty the jar out and start over every other day… before new ones hatch.

The first day we had hundreds!!!! Now, there aren’t any flying around and there are very few going into the glass. Pretty cool!!!!

Dear Mouse

Dear Mouse,

I know we seemed like no threat. It is obvious you have been partying behind the couch for awhile. It was nice of you to leave crumbs and bits of confetti behind. I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but it isn’t really something I care for.

I saw you laugh at me, when you ran out of the kitchen to stare at me in amusement. However, I was not easily amused.

I’m sure it was comical to realize we had little experience. Yes, I agree, chasing you with a frying pan was no competition… you are much to fast and little. You have to admit though, using the fire extinguisher was a nice touch. Though, not effective.

You thought you were free, but you don’t know me. We gave you several opportunities to escape though an open door, but you chose not to take them. Call me crazy, but I just can not sleep knowing a mouse is running around. I have to protect my own babies. You do understand, right?

So, I took the hard road. I do not back down. You may think the 16 sticky traps were a bit much… but at 50cents a piece, it seemed worth it to me.

I’m sorry I had to be so brutal. However, you must have known it would not end well. I warned you several times, but you did not stop to listen. You only laughed at me.

RIP little mouse.

WARNING: Razor usage

First off, let me note, we do realize you are currently not able to post comments. We are working on this. Please feel free to send me your comments and I will try to add them to the post. I am always interested in what people have to say. My husband assures me we will get this fixed as soon as possible. Meanwhile, send me your thoughts at wondertwinsmom(at)gmail(dot)com

On to my post… lol

I laugh because I feel like a bit of an idiot today. See, my armpits are on fire. They are covered in a burning rash. Yes, TMI, but I post this so you won’t make the same mistake. **insert rolling eyes… at myself***

Months ago my husband wanted to try the “bald” look. He got a special electric razor to make it nice and smooth. I think it is similar to a facial razor, but this one was recommended by another friend who shaves his head bald.

Anyway, DH gave up the bald look, and the razor has been collecting dust. One night I tried it out on my legs. I don’t know about you, but my showers have become record times! I swear I can get in and out, totally washed, in under 2 minutes! I put on Dora… and RUN!!!!! lol

Obviously, the olympic speed showers do not give time for shaving. So, one night I tried his razor on my legs. I was amazed at the job it did! I can now sit with the kids, while they watch TV or something and take care of the cause of scaring kids of a hairy monster! It is a great time saver! I can also take care of any dark patches that appear, without having to take another shower.

So, that in itself is a time saver. However, next comes my mistake.

I knew we were going to the pool today… and though my pit area wasn’t crazy, it wasn’t what I wanted to show if I were in a swim suit. So, last night before bed I thought I would do some quick work with the electric razor. ***WARNING: Electric Razors should NOT be used on arm pits!!!!!!!!!******* It was definitely one of my poorer decisions. I can tell you, the massive razor burn has reminded me several times today. I also had to sleep with my arms over my head last night to not irritate them further.

Lesson learned. AND, being the good person I am, I am forgoing my own self-esteem by sharing this embarrassing story with you. Hey, if I can save one person from this mistake, it is well worth it!!!! lol

Mom goes postal

I can see the headlines now.

“Mom with 3 toddlers goes postal on other moms at local Chick-fil-a”

. Yup, that was me. Not one of my finer moments… but I can totally support my actions.

First, to set up my own mind set… I started Weight Watchers a week ago. I think my body is going through sugar withdrawel and not being able to emotionally eat. I’ve done it all my life. My body keeps screaming, “WTH!!!! You are having a rough day?! Where is my chocolate??!!!!!”

Second, the kids are out of preschool and have no more naps. I put them in rest time, but they come out 100 times to pee and stuff. I have no break until they go to sleep.

Third, DH has a cold. I’ve been trying to let him sleep in and rest.

So, I went to Chick-fil-A with the three kids. I went up to order and my kids ran over to a table that had lights, a cow, and those icicle things you see at Christmas. They were trying to advertise their new “spicy chicken sandwich”. The kids each grabbed handfuls of the icicles and threw them in the air. Creating a huge mess. Of course, I made them clean them up… but still.

Afterwards, we ate. The kids did great while eating. We were there early (11) so we could get into the play area before it got too crazy.

We were in the play area for about 15 minutes alone. Then, a 1 1/2 year old and a 5 year old came in. No parents, just the kids. Z and R kept making the little girl made because they kept calling her Alex. I had to put them in time out because they wouldn’t stop. She kept crying and whining and screaming. It was loud.

Then, more kids came in. And more. And more. Soon, there were 15 kids in the room, including my 3. I was the only parent. I couldn’t believe it. Some were about 6 or 7. There was a lot of rough housing, dangerous play on the equiment, etc. It was crazy!

How just flipping HOW do parents think it is OK to put their children in a play area and not supervise them??!!!!! You want to sit and talk with your friends? Get a sitter!!!! I couldn’t believe how many parents did this! 12 kids!!!!! No parents! I was livid!

I didn’t feel like it was safe, so I got my kids together and got their shoes on. We headed out the door as there was screaming and crying from some other child getting hurt or tormented or something. As we stepped out a mom stood up and said, “Is that my kid crying?” Like I Flipping know?!!!! I don’t know who your child is. Nor, was I hired to watch them! I lost it!

I said really loudly, “I don’t really know! I am taking my 3 kids and leaving because I am the only parent in there watching 15 kids!!!! I came to watch and play with MY OWN kids… not all of yours!!!! I CAN NOT watch all your kids!!!! That is not what I came here for!”

I was mad. Ugh. I need a glass of wine.

Birthday party weekend

We just survived 3… yes, THREE birthday parties! And, alone without DH to help. He had to go to visit his mom who fractured her leg and is sick among other things. We are hoping Pnemonia isn’t also on the floor. But, we will wait and see after her visit tomorrow.

Anyway, the first was a dance party. The kids were adorable in all the little Tutu’s!!!!! Both Bree and Zane really got into the class and enjoyed having a ball with their friends. I never would have thought about a ballerina party, but it was a blast for all the little 3 year olds!

The second was a party at an indoor playground. It was the same place Bree and Zane had their 3rd birthday. Overall, they had fun, but Zane resumed his position as my cling-on. Therefor, I couldn’t step one inch away from him. I think it had to do with knowing only a few kids there, being worn out (as it ended at bedtime), and having Daddy away. They had a good time and Zane was super excited about the Tractor cake!

The 3rd one took place today. It was at a local museum, Marbles. The kids have only been to this museum a handful of times, because it is $5 a person (including for me). I never understand why they charge the parents. It’s not as though we would go there just for ourselves… and they won’t let us just drop them off! Oh well. Anyway, there was so much to explore and do! They especially had a blast at the water station, the art activities, and building little cars. They went FULL SPEED for the 2 1/2 hours we were there!

Unfortunately, I have no idea where my camera is. So, I didn’t really get any pictures. Just know, they had fun… I had fun… and we are all pooped.

Getting your child to eat- The finger game

Yes, I know it is hard to believe, but I am actually posting TWO DAYS in a row!!!!!

A friend of mine found one of my tips helpful and told me to post it on here. So, here it is… hope it helps.

My kids are different eaters. Bree will try just about everything with a little encouragement. The only thing she regularly dislikes is peanut butter. Zane, is like his father. He knows what he likes and sticks to those items. Sometimes, it is hard to get him to eat all together. He is so long and lean… and constantly on the go. So, I came up with a simple game that works really well with him.

I hold up my hand with 5 fingers. He only has to make sure he takes 5 bites. Each time he takes a bit, a finger goes down. Often, he will end up eating more than the 5 bites. However, it is a great visualization for him and he knows that is all that is required. It helps him to have some control, I think.

Anyway, my friend’s child has sensory issues, was a micro-preemie, and has had problems gaining weight. He LOVES this game!!!! She said when he says he is done, after only a couple bites, she asks if he wants to play the “finger game”. He always does… and he always eats at least 5 more bites.

Hope it helps with your picky eater!

Long overdue updates

Call it chaos… call it being a twin mom… whatever… I am a slacker. I said I would start doing more posts… and I didn’t. But, you can’t succeed if you don’t try. So, off I go again.

The twins are now 3. If you have twins, you will find that each age brings more joys. Some things get easier. And some things get more challenging. They can now play together, ride their trikes, and have a WONDERFUL imagination!!!!!

One of my favorite stories is of one day when we were at a mall play area. There was a little boat. The kids were in the boat acting like they were fishing. Bree was giving me the fish and I was pretending to eat them. Well, she passed, to me, what I thought was an imaginary fish. Bree started yelling, “NO MAMA NO!!!! Don’t eat the STICK!!!!!!” I laughed so hard!!!!!!

Zane is a little comedian. He loves to say things that make people laugh. One day he was making an annoying squealing sound. I asked him kindly to stop… numerous times. I tried ignoring. He just continued. I said, “Zane, you are being a little pest!” He said, “Na… I’m just a kid!”

The fits are less often. Now that they can speak well, they let you know what they want. They can also understand reason (most of the time). However, when they DO throw a fit… it seems they are louder and a little more aggressive. We have done quiet time in their rooms for moments like these. With the tot clock timing their 3 minutes, it gives them a time to separate themselves and cool down. Then, when they come back we talk about it and give hugs. So far, it seems to be working.

2 days ago we moved the kids into twin beds! This was a HUGE step for us!!!! They still fit in their beds, but Zane was getting a little long and DH and I were finding it harder and harder to lay down with them. OK, I’ll admit, the move to the big beds was more for our comfort, but they had to move sometime!

Anyway, Bree has done AWESOME!!!!! She LOVES her new bed and the new arrangement of her room. Zane. Not so much. He has a little more trouble with change.

2 nights ago it took a couple hours to get him to sleep. At 1 a.m. he came out of his room, hysterically crying. He said his room was “scared” (ie. scary). I couldn’t even get him back in his room, much less into the bed. So, he slept with DH in our bed while I slept in the living room.

Last night he was exhausted and fell asleep about 8:30… not to bad really. However, about 11:15 he woke up. I was just about to go to bed. I put him back in bed and laid down. He got up, I put him down. He got up… you can guess how this continued. About midnight I was falling asleep. He got back up and wouldn’t stop crying. Once again, he finally went to sleep in our bed.

I don’t want this to become a routine. I’m all about the family bed. However, he has been sleeping in his own bed for years. I don’t want to change things now. I know if I let this continue it will become the norm.

So, DH and I have agreed on the Super Nanny training. We’ll put him in bed. When he gets out I’ll remind him it is time to sleep in his own bed. After that, I’ll just put him back over and over. I’ll do tonight. DH will do tomorrow night. Wish us luck! lol

Update

My dad had his surgery yesterday morning. It took about 1 1/2 hours from the time we walked in until the time we left. The surgery went smoothly. He left with a baseball sized patch over his left cheek. Everything went well though.

The hardest part is resting and taking it easy for the next couple of days. The crazy thing is, it is suppose to snow AGAIN here tonight! Good thing is, he can just take it easy.

Keep him in your thoughts. He has been through so much the last couple of years. He is a trooper though!!!!

Where is the silver lining

I’ve written about my dad before. He is one of my greatest role models and one of my best friends. He is one of the most up beat and optimistic people I know. I am constantly learning from him.

A few years ago I posted about him having prostate cancer. They removed the prostate, then discovered it had already spread to his lymphatic system. He changed his diet to a very strict diet, cutting out sugars and processed foods. It has done very well for him. For awhile, it looked like he was in remission. A few weeks ago he found out his PSA numbers have gone back up slightly. Not enough to be scared of, but making it so he isn’t really in remission.

Then, about a year ago he had a stroke. Scared the daylights out of all of us 6 kids and his wife, my stepmother. He has come back from that with flying colors. He still has a few problems with sentences, especially when he gets nervous. But overall, he is doing so much better than was even expected.

Last week, he went in to get some moles on his face checked out. He has worked outside all his life. Likely didn’t wear sunscreen 90% of the time. Yes, you can see where this is going… you are right. He has skin cancer.

Monday we will go in to get it removed. He found out on Wednesday and the doctors wanted to get him in asap. The speed scares me a little. But you can’t dwell.

When will he catch a break? He is one of the nicest people in the world. I know many who are ugly inside… yet they remain unscathed. How is this fair?

Please, keep him in our thoughts. We will go forward. We will get past this, another chapter… another story. Hopefully, the sun will come out soon.