Life with Twins – twinmamaloves.com

Ordinary and Bored

Ordinary
I have a pretty active brain. It is always swirling, always 10 steps ahead, always looking for solutions, and craving something to conquer. As a stay at home mommy the internet often feels like a lifeline to the outside world. I am so very thankful for it. It provides connection, ease of planning, communication, shopping, and a way to research. It also brings everything into my kitchen in very close and real way. I can rattle off a list of people who have diseases, cancer, sick kids, relational issues, financial struggles, pet problems, house problems, big new ideas, new diets, new houses, new babies, new jobs, and the list goes on. For a person with a spinning brain, but only one current and primary calling (wife/mom/teacher) the internet is both great and terrible. Great when I can reach out and ask a someone for prayer, or catch up with an old friend, or fend off feelings of isolation …terrible at leading me to think that something really bad/exciting/new is or should be just around the corner.

It is also bad at leading me to think that that I am nothing special. Sometimes I don’t feel like I have anything to hang my hat on. Nothing that will fill my brain with the right thoughts, or purpose. I am not a skilled crafter. I can sew, but not great. I can do stuff with paper, but nothing amazing. I have no idea how to create awesome graphics. I am not a great photographer. I do not have a “brand”. I do not have a hopping blog. My house is not overly clean, or dirty. I like to organize, but am not obsessive about it, nor do I have the storage to “give everything a place”. I can cook, but I don’t always love to. I have a degree, but don’t use it in a traditional sense. I like to learn, but am not a veracious reader. I am a “planner,” but am realistic that I really do not have the time or energy to be on any big board, committee, or plan any big exciting endeavor or event (and still have enough to give to my family). I am a bit prone to depression (mainly when not sleeping) and anxiety, but not in a debilitating way that halts life or forces me to “conquer” it. I have lots of friends, but not as many close friends as I would like. I am not super fashionable. I am not a runner, gym club member, yogi, “enthusiast” or professional. No special label. I am a wife and mom and follower of Christ. The accomplishments come slow. There is nothing flashy and a lot of the work would not be labeled as “fun”. Although the ironic part is that fulfillment and purpose are really all around. I want to be the one raising my children and teaching them. Even when it is hard. I know them and they know me. We are a team God created.

I am so thankful that God has blessed me with a relatively peaceful life. But, sometimes I am left feeling not so special, and just kinda bored. This is ironic because there is little people chaos swirling around me most all of the time. It is a very hard job to raise four little ones who are five and under. To be home with them and raising them, teaching them, and training them all day/every day…and often on very little sleep. I am so glad God has not given me more right now. I could not do more. I don’t have the time or energy to be anymore than mommy/wife right now. I would probably crumble under the pressure. But for someone with a brain like mine it is hard to know how to just be at peace with just being. Not having a label. Not having a traditional project, or special skill. Being a wife and mom is all I have ever wanted. When my professors would ask me what I planned on doing after college I always struggled to answer that question. “You should go on to grad school!” No, thanks. “Have you decided on a career path?” Yes. Sometimes I would tell people I knew my calling, other times I would not. For my very liberal minded professors I was pretty sure that a “good student” should be much more than a “mother” in their eyes. I knew this was a lie. But sometimes I still struggle.

Bored
There is no question in my mind that being a mother is a very high calling. I know I am doing important work. I know this has eternal value. I am happy with my stage of life. I love having young children. I love language acquisition, I love raising babies, I love teaching my little ones new things, I love answering their questions, I love most things about this gig. I am not wishing away these years. I want to enjoy every stage. But the reality often feels like lots of long dark cold days spent constant picking up. Constant training. Babies who prefer to be held most all of the time, and few real and tangible accomplishments because of the difficulty at getting anything “big” done. Slowly putting out the biggest “fire” around the house. Nothing is accomplished easily.

I don’t want these days over, but it often feels like I am waiting for something. For Daddy to come home. For the weekend. For vacation. For something other than the 7:30 am when Daddy leaves to 6:00 ish when he comes home.(Because I need to admit “9-5” is a big fat lie.) Because for homeschooling/stay at home moms there are not many coffee dates, lunch appointments, or meetings to move the day along. There are just lots of meals to prepare. School to fit in here and there as attention spans allow. And nap time.

Until I can accomplish getting dinner on the table on a regular basis (rather than waiting for my hubby to come and cook) I feel like I have no business following my whims or “great ideas”. This is my calling. This is my job, my city, my home, my minivan, my family. I am content. But my brain and heart sometimes struggle with the ordinary, the slow, and the sameness. The gradual passage of time, seasons, and the difficulty of accomplishing much more that what is necessary to keep our home functioning.

For the time being I will pray for contentment. I am living out my calling and I will try to be who He created me to be. Even when it feels mundane. Even when I feel ordinary. Even on the long dark days. Even with a migraine. Even sleep deprived. Even in a body I don’t always want to claim. Even when he works late. Even when the kids have colds. Even when it is hard.

Our Kindergarten Plan for the Twins

I am always curious to hear about what curriculum and tools other homeschooling families have chosen to use. Now that there are so many curriculum options, it makes the choice a bit harder. When I was homeschooled as a child there were far fewer choices (although I am sure we all got by just fine). Don’t let this list overwhelm you. It is really just a small stack of books and workbooks and one weekly activity outside the home. We are still deciding if we will do other classes or activities. This mama likes to keep it simple (especially with a new baby).

I really believe in play-based learning and lots of time for creativity. I don’t anticipate spending hours at the table each day, but pockets of time here and there to stay roughly on pace with our books. If they are not enjoying something, we will take a break from it and try something else for a little while. I really want to instill a love for learning in the children and they have years ahead of them. These are very important early years.

I shopped around online and eventually made the trip to Exodus Books in the Portland area. I needed to get my hands on the books to compare the different options. I also really wanted the in-person advise from someone who has seen all the curriculum and knows what they are talking about. It was so valuable. I went home and made my final choices and ordered through their website. They have great shipping rates and you can get an unlimited amount for only $5. The other thing that sold me on buying from them is that they have a huge selection of used books. I was able to scour the internet for lists of books people loved and then go and look for them used on their site. It is hard to find an online resource for cheap used books where you don’t have to pay to have them shipped individually (which no longer makes them cheap or easy to order). Also, supporting a local homeschooling family rocks too. I priced all our books at many sites. Some had a couple of them for lower prices, but with higher shipping it was a wash. I also wanted to order everything from one site and support the family that spent time helping me talk through the options.

Here is our plan for the year…

–We will attend Classical Conversations class again on Tuesdays this year. This will cover a good amount of science, geography, math, english grammar, Bible, timeline, Latin, and fine arts. I will use a tri-fold board with our memory work on it and some songs to help us memorize the new material each week. We will supplement with a bit of additional Science in the form of casual nature studies and nature notebooking. We will also add in our regular math curriculum and continue to do “Family Worship” times (a family devotion) with Daddy at the end of the day for more Bible.

Reading/Phonics– Explode the Code books A, B, and C- We did not get very far through these last year and will continue to use this series. We will move onto books 1, 2, and 3 after we finish these. (Purchased from Exodus Books)

– 70 Basic Phonograms Cards by Wanda Sanseri– These are pretty similar to the phonics in The Writing Road to Reading, but my book (which kinda overwhelms me anyway) was missing the cards. I am just going to follow the basic instructions and information that comes in the pack of cards to teach the sounds. I am hoping this will be what helps the twins gain the tools to learn to read. So far I really like this basic approach. (Purchased from Exodus Books)

$singapore essential math$

Math-

-Singapore “Essential Math” Kindergarten books A and B- We started these books awhile back after ordering their books for this school year and we are LOVING them. There are a few different versions of Singapore and this one was obviously the one I choose. It was a bit cheaper and I liked the simple format and the fact that I did not have to buy more than the book “A” and “B” to complete the system. I spent a lot of time choosing a math cirriculm and looked through a good amount of the popular brands. I felt like this was the “middle ground” between the ones I was interested in. It is visually interesting, but it black and white which still allows for a lot of creativity. My daughter LOVES to color the pages after finishing the assignment (which helps my more anxious learner get excited). I am so thankful we choose this one. At the rate they seem to be moving through book A we might need to supplement with something else or move onto the first grade books when they finish both K level books. (Purchased from Exodus Books)

–Life of Fred “Apples” –This is a literary approach to math. It is a story you read and learn from. We are excited to try it out, but not ready to use it as a stand-along curriculum as some have said you can do. Daddy is helping us read through this book. (Purchased from Exodus Books)

Handwriting-A Reason For Handwriting book A- After looking through a few options I choose this for a few reasons. It is visually interesting but not overwhelming. It also follows the same simple style of letter formation that I have been teaching them already (and similar to Explode the Code). It also has them practice and copy Bible verses which I loved. In the back of the book is what they call “Scripture Border Sheets”. They are lined sheets with cute images along the side for the children to color after they write the weekly verse on “Day 5”. This will give them a nice finished product to be proud of each week. This also happens to be the First Grade level. I preferred it over the Kindergarten for a few reasons and will be challenging, but not over their heads. If we continue this book into their first grade year, I am fine with that. (Purchased from Exodus Books)

Art-Draw Write Now Book One- This teaches drawing in a fun step-by-step way. We have tried a similar book and the twins loved following along and creating things they would not be able to create on their own in the same way. It also includes some applicable copy work on each page which you could use for a lot of your handwriting practice if your children have already mastered forming all their letters. (Purchased from Exodus Books)

Other books we will be using:

The Nature Connection: An Outdoor Workbook for Kids, Families, and Classrooms. (Purchased used from Exodus Books)

Pacon brand Primary Journal “Picture Story” (A composition book that is empty on top for a drawing and then has regular and dotted lines on bottom to help young writers.) We will likely use this for our drawing and nature study. (Purchased from Learning Palace)

And also…

Sharing Nature With Children (Purchased used from Exodus Books)

Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book K (Purchased from Exodus Books)

A Hive of Busy Bees (Character development) (Purchased used from Exodus Books)

(I will add to this list as I find and remember more of our books we bought for the year).

–Our newly 3 year old really likes to learn along with the bigger kids. She will do a lot of similar thing that I will modify when necessary. When she gets bored or things are over her head she will be free to go off and play by herself (in the play area, with special toys, with the iPad, or on busy bags).

*Disclosure-If you purchase through the links in this post I may earn a small percentage and you will be helping to support this blog. Thank you!

Hope this helps someone. I am not an expert, but if you have any questions about the choices we made or have any great suggestions I would love to hear them! Comments make my day.

When the days get long.

Sorry things have been a bit more quiet around this blog lately. Hope this day finds you well! This post is just to share where I have been at lately and let you know that you are not alone if things are rough at your house too. This mama thing is not easy.

Lately the days have been a little long…especially the week days. I love my sweet children and being a stay at home mama. Nothing huge has gone down at out house. I am blessed and the children have been healthy …but, WOW. Mothering these little ones has been intense. We usually average 1 or so “rough” days, 1-2 “good” days, and the rest “okay” days in a week.

The past couple weeks my days with the children have all been “rough.” I cannot remember having this many long days in a row since right after our youngest was born. I was recovering from a c-section, had 3 in diapers, could not lift any of them, and had to move them through every daily task (as they really could not do much themselves) on very little sleep. It was hard, but we got through it.

Lately I am dealing with new levels of sibling fighting, 4 year olds who are very smart and determined, a 2 year old who is equally determined and considers herself 4. She is more “two” than the twins ever were. She is pretty sure she should be able to do everything they can do and most definitely “holds her own.” Little Man is giving me a run for my money. His brain never stops and this tot’s stamina is an amazing thing.

As they grow I am also trying to let them have more freedom around the house and it is a rough transition (with crafts, creativity, playing in different parts of the house etc.). The house can quickly spiral out of control and teaching them to clean after themselves is a bit exhausting.

I feel like 2 of my 3 little ones are simultaneously at harder stages of development than they have ever been at before. We have had days where I have basically just stood amidst them and carried them through communication. I was constantly working with them, disciplining them, texting my husband to tell him that THIS MOST DEFINITELY IS THE HARDEST JOB IN THE WORLD, loving them, and hopefully shepherding them the right way (most of the time).

There were times I got really angry….and then later apologized. I was offended they would act this way towards each other and toward me. I was tired. I was pretty close to feeling “done” a few times (whatever that would mean). I hid in the closet and ate a cookie, did my devotions more intentionally, took more rests during naps, and I am still standing.

The word going around is that consistency is the key. I am here to tell you that YES, it is so important. But it is not a guarantee that your little ones will obey or immediately turn their behavior around. We try to be pretty consistent with the little ones. When things got extra intense I became more aware of it…and things were still rough for awhile. It can take time. If you are struggling with your children like I am, keep going!

For the first time I am experiencing some of the typical mommy feelings in a fuller way than I had before. I now know what “mommy guilt” feels like, along with feeling like a “bad mom.” I know I have been listening to lies and discouragement that is not from God.

We have had lots of conversations with the children about important stuff. There has been lots of gospel talk (Jesus, sin, our need for a Savior, etc.), lots of prayer, we are implementing a new ticket system, and I am hoping we are turning a corner (or will soon).

Some seasons of motherhood are fun, while others require extra patience and perseverance. This post is a bit humbling to write. Just coming out from my rock and keepin’ it real.

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Check out this awesome post my friend Anna happened to share as I was finishing up this post. It says it all so much better than I can.

I am linking up with Far Above Rubies. If you are visiting I would love to hear from you and come and visit your blog!

Happy 4th Birthday My Sweet Twins.

I can’t believe that today you turn four years old. Four years ago today we became parents for the first time. We went from having no children, to having two children. We considered ourselves blessed to get to experience what it was like having twins. Before you were born your Daddy’s common phrase was, “Can you believe we are having TWO babies!?!”

First birthday whole wheat muffin "cake" with yogurt frosting.

You have brought us endless amounts of joy. Our lives shifted in HUGE ways after you were born. You teach us on a daily basis what is important. Something about having twins threw us full force into family life. We could not pretend to be able to do the things we did before you in the same way. God made it clear that our life was to change. He had something better for us. We longed for you. We waited for you. We were happy to accommodate.

You have been best buddies and partners in everything from the very beginning. You slept better together as newborns, entertained yourselves happily together as babies, shared your precious animals crackers with each other when we expected you to keep them for yourself, put your brains together to scheme up crazy antics as young toddlers, and became full-fledged best friends as older toddlers. Now you are four, and will continue to define what it means to be brother, sister, and share the term and bond of “twins”.

Caught sharing your precious animal crackers.

When you were younger we would try to do “special” things with each of you separately from time to time. We were often surprised to find out that you really seemed to have less fun without your twin. Now that you are a bit older you seem to be able to appreciate it for short amounts of time.

We go through our day-to-day activities and aren’t fully aware how you being twins and close friends affects our life. When you are separated from each other or we go into a new situation we sometimes get glimpses.

As I was preparing to take you (Little Man) for a “Mommy date” you say to your sister, “I don’t know what to order at lunch! Can you tell me what to order?” I thought it was such a cute window into the security you have in each other that I often miss. You were feeling apprehensive about doing something you normally have no fear over. You knew you would be fine, but wanted your sister’s help.

photo(9) — "It's okay! I will be back. I will text you!"

When offered something special, you often want your twin to get the same things as well. If it is good, you know your sibling would want it too.

Being a twin is a special thing many don’t get to experience. I am so glad that you guys have fully embraced the bond. You love each other, value each other, take different roles, then switch roles seamlessly when a change is needed, and share most things like it is just the way it’s supposed to be.

You both are a little preoccupied about the future. You both want to know who you will marry. You both think it makes perfect sense to marry each other. You are partners now, and I love that you want to be partners later. Even though you will someday start lives on your own, I pray you will always be close and share this special bond.

What a twin Birthday means at our house.

Two times to sing Happy Birthday. Everybody deserves their own little song.

A special meal of choice. Usually you agree on the same thing. If not, we make sure everybody has something they enjoy.
A choice of dessert. Often cakes. Something for each twin to “blow out.”

Usually a party, sometimes a special day instead.

A couple presents. This year a couple smaller ones and a big one to share. I feel sharing gifts only helps you learn and creates less fights for the future. Nobody can say “Hey that is MINE” when they know it is “ours”.

So far you have absolutely no issues sharing your birthday. I kinda think you prefer it this way. What could be more fun than sharing a special day with your best friend?

We love you precious our precious Littles! Happy Birthday!

Schedule Time

photo(1) — "Maybe if we do this mom will start using a schedule"

photo(2) — "Maybe if we had a schedule we could do things like make bread more often?"

photo(3) — "Maybe she could put it in an awesome binder like ours? Nah...I bet she will just blog about it instead. That would be easier."

It is time to try and institute a schedule into our days. I am sure we will stray from it here and there, but I think it will help our days have more purpose and organization. I also think my house will thank me for it. We have been improving in certain areas, but things still seem a bit chaotic at times (okay…a lot chaotic at times). This should help a bit.

In case you don’t know us personally, I am a stay at home mama of 3 little ones. We are slowly entering our homeschooling years. The twins are 3 (almost 4) and our babe is 18 months.

The schedule only has a couple actual times on it. It is more of an “order of operations” rather than a “schedule” I suppose. I prefer to have it a bit more free-form and then make sure the main things like meals and naps occur at close to the same time everyday.

Basic schedule goal for M-F (exceptions based on the focus of the day and activities/visitors)

Breakfast for tots and I.

Read Proverbs to kids and work on a memory verse.

Clean up breakfast.

Go get little one when she wakes. Start a load while upstairs.

Nurse/feed little one.

Start school if she is happily eating in highchair and go as long as we can.

School (alphabet, writing, counting/sorting, art project, educational busy bags, flash cards etc.)

Clear her breakfast.

Get dressed with clothes I brought down after kids bed time the night before. Do this right after twins eat if little one is still sleeping.

Kids play in play area. I shower and switch laundry.

Small treat if they stayed in play area and played nicely.

Start preparing lunch at 11:55.

Eat lunch together.

1-1:30 Potty, pray, put Little Man down, Little Lady, and Sweet Baby.

Make our bed if there has not been a chance before.

Clean up any remaining lunch/kitchen mess.

Do devotions.

Check email etc.

Attempt nap if lack of sleep.

Do paper work stuff/work on project.

Cuddle with kids individually as they wake.

Give snack and let them watch shows for a bit.

Check laundry/cleaning.

4:00 Read books together

Kids play while I prepare for Hubs to come home and work on dinner if he is not cooking.

5:40ish Dinner

Cleanup

Daddy play with kids (while I sometimes work out)

Take any dirty clothes or things that need to go upstairs.

Baths if needed/get ready for bed.

Family worship time-Read Crossroads to Character, sing, read Bible. (Consider moving to right after dinner and try to find our “Truth and Grace” books).

Kids in bed by 8:00.

Bring down clothes for kids for the nest day.

Straighten up kitchen and catch up with Hubs.

Insert into day when appropriate.

Character quality flashcards. The kids LOVE these.

Children helping with chores-right now we are trying to teach joyful helpfulness and skills to complete chores. I am hesitant to put them into the schedule. I want to have the kids get excited about helping me throughout the day and teach them how to help (rather than assigning chores and having a specific time to do them). As they get a bit older we will add this to the schedule. Right now they know how to fold some clothes, vacuum with the light wt. vac on hard surfaces, scrub with a towel, pick up while focusing on one thing at a time (sometimes), lining up shoes by the door, gather dirty clothes and take to laundry room, and a few other things I forgot.

(More as I think of them)

Daily focus tasks

Monday-Coupon organization, look at ads, make lists.

Tuesday-Kids and I upstairs to do laundry and put anything clean away.

Wednesday-Bathrooms and garbage.

Thursday-Extra School or sometimes go see Great Grandma and Great Papa.

Friday-Errands (or flip flop with wed)

Saturday-Big projects, errands, and FUN!

Sunday-Church and planning for the week.

Do you use a schedule in your home?

Family “Date Night”

What to do when you have the itch to go out for a nice evening on the town, but don’t have a babysitter (I mean grandma) lined up? Dress the kids up and go anyway!

You make reservations so you don’t have to waste precious time waiting for a table.

You request “al fresco” so you don’t have to worry as much about noise or crumbs.

You walk a few blocks to get some gelato and let the tots ogle the selections a bit to build the anticipation.

You make them pose with you on a bench to try and get the perfect mama/child shot on the perfect shade of green bench…and then give up.

You ask for extra cups to split the yumminess and you dive in.

You find that the local book store is still open and the pull is too strong to resist. You try to explain to the twins why you are supposed to talk softly in a book store. Cultural norms are confusing to 3 year olds.

You find them both separately assuming the same posture in different parts of the store and realize that yes, they really are twins. And also growing up.

You attempt to get a family shot. Fail. And call it a night.

Admit that it was more fun with the kids than it would have been without.

Call it the best night ever.

A trip to Trader Joe’s and Fred Meyer

When I occasionally actually get into the stores (we have been swamped lately) there are definitely some deals to be found. The Hubs and I loaded the 3 Littles up and did a Trader Joe’s trip followed by Fred Meyer.

At Trader Joe’s we shopped like we still didn’t have a local store. You would think we were preparing for Y2K like pretzels and counterfeit “Pirates Booty” were going to save our life. “Divide and conqueror” turned into divide and “double up”. Pretty sure we won’t need to buy snacks for 2 months. My kids were “those kids” and I blame those darn little carts. Last time Hubs took the kids he let them use them. This time mean mommy said we had too much shopping to do. I did not want to spend 3 hours using my nice voice to try and protect other shoppers ankles. We went with the push the double and single BOB’s and drag a cart approach. What we ended up with was 2 toddlers who wanted NOTHING to do with the stroller and know how to push each and every button of their twin counterpart. But, lucky for us they offered our kids taffy and suckers (I think we were the suckers). Only 3 minutes later daddy was crawling around the van looking for which crevasse the taffy fell into and revoking the sucker for being stuck to inappropriate surfaces. Next time I think we might pass on the “Mojo” basket.

The next stop was Fred Meyer. Needless to say I went in while the rest of the family stayed in the car. I was happy with my trip. I came out to pleasant kids and a patient daddy and Buzz Lightyear sticking out from our mini van’s sunroof. I love my life.

Here is a tiny snapshot of my FM loot (Hubs has the good camera and phone today).

Came home from with…

2 Crayola colored pencils 99 cents

3 Crayola 24 ct. crayons 39 cents

2 packs of Avery 3 ct (with bonus) glue sticks. On sale for $1.49 and had a B1G1 coupon hanging from price tag.

Johnson’s Natural body wash. Had coupon for $1.50 off. (Having a hard time finding a good price on a good natural baby wash. This will do for now.)

Cottonelle wipes (great for toddlers!). Coupon for free product, but the shelf price was more than coupon would allow for. Anybody ran into this before? I think this shows that Fred Meyer’s regular prices are a bit high. I just asked if I could pay the difference.

3 big organic peaches on sale for $1.48 (decent price)

Whoppers (yes I said whoppers) $1.49ish or $1.25 with in ad coupon

Kettle chips. $1.50 after $1 off coupon at coupons.com

Pantene conditioner. Coupon for free product

Total $13. 24!

I also noticed that they had their clearance toys an additional 50% off. I was at the South Salem store. I did not find anything amazing but they did have quite a bit. Might want to check it out!

Happy Tuesday!

Grump Busters: How to change the grumpy tone in your home fast.

Do something with your kids that they LOVE…even if you don’t.

Turn on some music that perks up the grumpy person. If you are grumpy turn on something you love. If the kids are grumpy turn on something they can’t resist or ignore.

Pray.

Do something for someone else! Talk about who you could do something for and then decide together what you could do.

Do something messy!

Take a bath. You could even let them use some things in the bath that they usually don’t get to (maybe things from your kitchen).

Go for a walk around the block.

If you are overwhelmed by all there is to do start with 2-3 easy things that will get you moving. Or, set a timer and clean for 5 minutes in the area that it will show the most.

Call someone on the phone…unless that always results in meltdowns and fighting over who gets to talk and push buttons…then don’t do that.

Get out stickers.

Open more blinds.

Light candles.

Make a fort and read a book in it.

Plan something fun for the next day so you have something to look forward to.

Give the grump a big love till their needs are met and finish with a tickle to make them smile.

If all else fails sprinkle a bag of marshmallows on the ground and run for a “potty break”.

Hope your house doesn’t need any of these suggestions today!

Blessings!

P.S. I am writing this post for myself 🙂

How many of these things did we do today? NINE

28 Days of Fun Challenge: Tea Parties or Tantrums Edition.

Okay, here is my goal. I am going to try and do something “fun,” mildly creative, or educational with the kids every day. We spend lots of time playing, but I want to try to do something out of routine with the twins (recently turned 3) Monday through Saturday. We started around Thursday March 31st.

Here are a couple of the things we have done so far.

-Play Doh (and I did not even hide that extruder toy that creates a big mess and mixes all the colors) 🙂

-Went on a “nature walk” at Minto Brown Park. We even saw a bunny. But we did not see any “red peckers…um wood-pokers” (woodpeckers) as Little Man calls them.

-Played with the magnetic board and alphabet magnets.

-Forgot to do something fun and pretended something normal was “fun.”

-Went to the opening day of the Saturday Market in the rain.

-Played outside with a little friend.

-Let Sweet Baby (her blog name changes often) roam the play room which is not easy to do with all the tiny pieces of chaos that float about the room (talking about the toys not the twins).

-Cut out little pieces of cardboard and played “recycling” with their recycling truck.

-Had a tea party with Great Grandma during her Monday morning visit.

…more less-interesting things that I already forgot.

If you want to join in on the fun please do. Post some fun activities you are enjoying with your kids on your blog, or leave a comment. If you are feeling extra ambitious try to do something fun every M-F or M-Sat. This is not meant to be tons of work! Just a fun challenge to get you to think outside your mommy box.

Because, Ya know…tea parties with Great Grandma are always more fun than…

…fighting over a stool with your sister.

Happy Monday!

Jumping back in. Nothing special.

(This post was written way back on Tuesday Sept 21st)

I can’t believe it has taken me this long to get back to my blog. Well, Okay…I really can. You would too if you knew what it has been like around here. A very wonderful sort of crazy! A lot of updating needs to happen. Baby girl needs a proper introductory post, but I did not want that to keep me from just hopping back on here. Currently typing during baby girls first forced nap. I fed her a snack, walked her up the stairs and put her in the swing, and walked away. This only has the possibility of working because she was already tired. This is the first part of operation ” Put Baby on a Schedule.” Because dude, (reference for my fb friends) it’s time! Nothing scary here, just hoping for at least two naps a day from her (which would be a HUGE improvement), less “snacks” and better “meals,” and some contented play time here and there.

Update- SHE HAS BEEN SLEEPING FOR 2 HOURS! I may have happened to try to put her on a schedule on one of her occasional sleepy days, but I will take it!

Here is an approximate schedule/order of operations I will head towards when possible. I will adapt it as I see what is working best for her and us.

Dry cereal and cup of milk while watching a show for twinners (if up earlier than I want to start official breakfast.)

Breakfast for mama

Play a little

8:00-Make and start real breakfast and put twins in chairs.

Feed baby while kids eat

Get kids more food, continue with feeding

8:45 Get twinners diapers changed and dressed and put in play area to play.

Change and dress baby

Go into play area with all 3 to read and play

9:15- Give baby “snack”

9:30-Put baby down for morning nap upstairs

Put a load of laundry in and lay one out

Play with the twinners, work near them, or do a craft or project with them, give out vitamins, go outside, etc.

Feed baby when she gets up

Change twins diapers

Prepare lunch

11:50 or 12-Feed them lunch

Check diapers

12:50 or 1 Nap

Feed and try to get baby to take another nap based on when she got up from morning nap

Try and rest (rare)

3:00 (at least 1 kid almost always up by this time)

Diapers 3 X

Snack for tots

4:00 Activity or play area time

Prepare for daddy to come home

Dinner (feed baby)

Play, go for family walk, run errand, etc.

Check on laundry status

Have kids help pick up

745 ish-Feed baby after getting her ready for bed while daddy helps get twinners ready for bed

devotions and then kids down

9:00 Usually down time for us

10:00 Babies last feeding

10:30 (or a bit later) BED