Quotes

Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health. 

Summer Ending

My girls have been enjoying the summer very much, whether it be eating my green not ripe tomatoes for the garden, picking the flowers off the cucumber plants, playing the mud, chasing the dog and cats, or just soaking up the wonderful sun.  Either way, they love to run outside, pull the grass, and just walk around.  I can see their independence developing already.  They are getting so big!  Almost eighteen months ago, they were just four and a half pounds just little tiny peanuts. 

Ah, the joys of being a mother!

Good Morning!

Good morning single mothers, mothers of twins, and moms in general!! I hope the summer has treated you very well!! I can not believe that in a month my little girls will be eighteen months. 

Talking

My oldest knows more then 20 words, sky, cup, up, down, love, all done, all gone, hello, bye, mommy, daddy, cow, dog, cat, shoe, ceiling, floor, wall, sister, grandma, and grandpa.  She also knows sign language more, all done, please, thank you, mommy, daddy, cup, drink, milk, eat, phone, light, and cracker.  Its so much fun watching the brain grow.  I have been trying to do the program Your Baby Can Read, and its lots of fun!  Check it out and start signing to your baby, and then showing them flash cards and soon enough they will be reading the flash cards!

Spanking

How do people feel about spanking and saying the "no" word?  I feel that spanking is an act of discipline, but others will refute it.  But it does come with consequences, you can't spank real hard.  This one is hard for me, because my girls hit, bite, slap, yell and scream at each other.  Saying "no" doesn't always work, because they continue again, separating works for a little bit, but they will go back to doing it again.  So sometimes I spank them for not listening.  They do get it once that happens.  But then it looks like if mommy can slap me, then I can slap my sister too. 
I know they are curious and are trying to push my buttons to see how much they can get away with.  I keep reading twins forums, acts of discipline stories, but what I get is a mixed review. 
The one thing, that I want to make clear is that if your afraid to spank or say "no" to your child don't.  Its not right to try and do something that you don't feel is right to do.  I was sent to my room and had water dumped on my head when I did something wrong when I was younger. 


The one thing that I do after I have spanked my child is I sit down and talk with them.  I tell them that its not right to hit or slap your sister, but why can mom do it?  I try to say "no" before I spank.  I want them to know that it isn't right to hit others.  The faster I can teach them no to, the better off we are.  I have taught them to kiss  and hug each other when they do something bad, so I do positive re-enforcement after a bad punishment. 

Also another point, I have taught my girls instead of hitting, give high fives.  They really love that!  So when they get mad at each other and I see it, I tell them to give each other high fives and it actually has been working.  So less spanking, more high fives!!!  We give hugs and kisses, and are gentle with each other.  However, this wont always be the case and this is the right time to teach them what is good and bad.

 

Dirty Water!

What to do about little girls playing in the mud puddles?
One thought I get is what would my mom think of this!  Ha, she wouldn't want them to eat the dirt, mud, sticks.  She thinks its not healthy, and gross.  What I think is kids are curious, and a little dirt wont hurt them. 
The other day I let my girls play in the mud puddle after it had rained hard the previous day, and you know what, they were covered from head to toe in mud!  LOL!!  I let my girls get dirty in the mud, eat sticks, and dirt, play with rocks, its all part of nature and they will grow out of the stage of eating that stuff!

Potty Training

For all mothers out there, potty training can be done at any age!  I occasionally started my girls on the baby potty when they were six months old.  I wanted to introduce them to the potty and let them get adjusted to it.  I wanted them to know and understand that we go pee and poop in the potty.  I guess that I should have stuck with it more.  I only occasionally put them on the potty, but they know what it is now!  I let them run around every morning and give them the sign (tap your side) that means potty.  And you know what, they sign it but they still go to pee on the ground. :(  

Its a learning process, but I would like to say that I am making ground!  I hope that I have my girls potty trained by the time they are two!  That is my goal.  I am now making every weekend diaper free weekend.  They can run around outside naked if they want, as long as we get the sign down and understand that it means I have to go to the bathroom.  

I am starting to see the signs, they look down when they pee, they look at it and get a serious look on their faces.  They understand that they are peeing.  Its so cute, and I love that we are figuring it out!!!!!!!

Have lots of faith, patience, and strength!  It all happens in time.

Hot Outside!!

Today is August 8th and in Minnesota we have hit the hottest time of the year.  How do I keep my girls cool?  Well for one I keep them inside with a/c, and run around with only their diapers on!!  But after a while they get sick of running around the house, so we decide to go outside in the hot, humid 100 degree weather.  Its only pleasant in the shade.  YUCK!!  Well, we have a little kiddie pool, and they absolutely love it!  They would rather play with the toys in the pool then be in the house!  But we can only be outside for 15 minutes at a time, otherwise we might get heat stroke.  

So we go in, get a drink, and you know what?  My girls go right back to the door and want to go back outside! I love that my girls would rather be outside then inside!  I remember telling them before they were born that I want my children to love outdoors, the fresh air, the warm breeze, and running around!  

Now I love that they want to do that all the time now!

Too bad its going to be 100 with humidity all week. :(

Teething

Oh my heavens...My girls are teething!  They have almost 9 teeth now.  My littlest girl has her first molar coming through.  There is a ton of crabbiness, and crying!! 
Tylenol!  Its my savor!  I give it to them once in the morning and once at night!

Typical Day

Since I live with my parents my day kinda revolves around them. I am my own individual family and person, however, that gets pushed aside a little when living within the four walls with family members. 
I have been a stay at home mom working very occasionally at a spa.  Its nice to get away from a few hours. 
The girls get up at 6 when grandpa gets up, we go back to sleep till 8. 
Make breakfast, girls love helping and watching me back eggs!
Play Time!  Run around the house!
Snacks
Read time
Lunch
Nap
Park, water and slide, library, shopping, or whatever we feel like sometimes just get in the car and drive around
Snacks
Tv time a whole 10 min unless we are out
Dinner
Wheel of fortune. Like hearing the wheel and the letters
Wild time.. We run the house and get rowdy!
8-10pm grandparents are home, they follow them around and then its get in bed and sleep

Its a very fun filled day!

First year

Yes indeed, the first year is probably the hardest, but that's because I do not what the rest of the years are going to shape up to be like.  I am in a lot of online groups, trying to find as much information as I can.
When I look back on my first year, I see the struggles.  Can I do this?  Am I good enough to be a  mother?  Do I have the strength to raise two children at the same time?
1. Can I do this?  That question stayed in my head for a very long time.  I couldn't shake it.  Some how with my friends and family support along with a lot of praying I finally told myself to jump on the bandwagon!  YOU CAN DO THIS!  Just like the little engine that could, and Dora in Finding Nemo saying just keep swimming.
2. Am I good enough to be a mother? This question was hard to answer, I had lots of help the first few months, my mom getting up in the middle of the night to help me nurse, my dad coming home early so he could watch one child while I worked with the other.  The girls also had a little bit of colic, so every night we struggled until ten to put them to sleep.  It was long, difficult, and time consuming.  But you know what, I made it and I feel tons better now.  I made it through sleepless nights, crying babies, changing diapers, nursing while asleep, and colic.  I look at it as a blessing.  I am and will always be a good mother!
3.  Do I have the strength to raise two children at the same time?  I always get the question now how do u do it?  Well for one, I have no choice.  God gave me two children and I will raise two children.  I didn't think I would have the strength, but as of today I have more strength and power then I have ever had in my life.  I FEEL GREAT!!!!!
Strength comes with a price, you have to give up your time, to keep your attention on them.  But you know what, with two children, they always have someone to play with whether its good, bad or ugly.  Someone always to yell and scream and laugh at.  My alone time has come back, and I am starting to use it wisely, like writing this blog, finding online work, and finding work outside the house.

I want new moms to take this blog and read it.  I want to inspire new mothers.  I want you to know that you have the strength inside you to make it through anything.  Childbirth is just the beginning, but if you can power through that, then raising a child will show your skills and give you the ability to reach new heights.

Fitness Professional

I have been in the nutrition, fitness, wellness world for quite a few years.  I have a degree in exercise physiology, have been a personal trainer, a fitness instructor, am a supervisor for herbalife.  I can sell nutritional supplemental products, but I feel that working in home and with your own body is the most beneficial along with eating right.  That is why I'm trying to find my niche for starting up my own business.  Call it Scratch.  Home-cooked meals that are healthy, fruits and vegetables always, and you can't go wrong with fresh baked goodies.  The only thing that is when going on a portion control diet, you have to be able to trick your mind that you only get to eat a little bit of the goodies!  Its a mind game!

Jobs

I have been a stay at home mom for the least year and a half raising my twin girls.  However, I have been out of the workforce for over two years.  I have been driven to raising my girls, that I have finally found my chance to look back and say that I have done a fantastic job.
I want to be able to take my experience as a stay at home mom and use it to further my career.  I want to have two full time jobs, a mom and a professional. 
I love to cook, take pictures, and even critique music.

Do I start with a hobby and turn it into a passion and career or do I take my degree and fight my way into a hospital and work long hours?