Well I bit the bullet and on wednesday will be meeting a potential babysitter. Yikes! I am so nervous, it's almost as if I am going for a job interview. Finding the right person to basically become a part of our family, someone we will trust to take good care of the boys is stressful. But oh, having a babysitter will be so great. Not only for evenings out, but also for help during the day... having someone to take the boys to the park so I can get the bathrooms done, or the basement organized, or whatever; it will rock! Ok now I'm talking myself into getting excited, and I don't even know if this person will work out.
Once we get this babysitter chosen, then comes the process again to find the substitute babysitter! Oh boy....
Monday, July 13, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
What To Do?
I don't know how other Moms do it. Seriously. I really feel like I need a break, just a few hours to myself where I don't have to worry about anything on the homefront. So tonight I was searching through babysitter ads on Kijiji, and though I started out hopeful the more ads I read, the tighter my throat got. My chest tightened up, my throat... just the thought of trusting my children to someone else almost gave me a panic attack. Which is kinda ridiculous; I myself babysat in my youth for multiple families, and really enjoyed it. But now I am starting to wonder how those parents could even leave the house! I know I need my own time, time just for me to regroup and decompress. But it is so hard to even think of leaving my boys with strangers. Maybe when they are older it will be easier; but I don't want to wait that long for my time. I am going to whine now and say that I really wish I had parents or in-laws close by who could give me a regular, much needed break. And by regular, not to scare anyone off, I mean once a month. I figure if I had 4 hours to myself once a month I wouldn't get to this point. So, parents and in-laws, are you considering this wonderful city for your new home? Or am I to just bite the bullet and hire a babysitter? Maybe it will get easier after the first time...
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Chair
I am living in the Land of Tiny Hooligans. How I got here? I'm not sure... one day I had these incredibly cute babies, and then I woke up. How I found time to fall asleep in the first place, I'm not even sure. Maybe they drugged me. These guys are crazy!! They are constantly pulling the mattress off JD's bed during nap time. I can't even fathom why. Because they can, I guess?? They climb up onto anything and everything. Sometimes they fall, sometimes they don't. Pretty much they bounce off the walls. Now, this may sound like complaining... but really it's not. It's my attempt at humorously relaying their antics. These little guys make me laugh every day with the silly things they do. It's hard to think of them a babies anymore. But once in awhile...
The past few nights they have been waking up scared in the night. So I have enjoyed a few moments lately when they still seem like babies, rocking in our chair. I nearly had Daddy take the chair out of their room; nighttime feedings have been over for a long, long time and it just seems to clutter the room. Plus I figured Dad could use it as an ultra-comfy place to sit while watching UFC. But then something happened; we entered the stage of waking at night scared. For some reason these two won't go back to sleep in our bed (which may or may not be lucky for us), so rocking in the chair it is. I get to snuggle, smell their hair, squeeze them, sing to them, kiss their cheeks, dry their tears, and rock the scaries away. I love every minute of it, even though it means I don't get to snuggle into bed and drift off myself.
So even though our days are filled with me chasing them, them laughing and running away; me putting back together everything they take apart; them constantly putting their feet on the table at mealtime and climbing on everything in sight..... once in awhile nighttime is a treasure.
The past few nights they have been waking up scared in the night. So I have enjoyed a few moments lately when they still seem like babies, rocking in our chair. I nearly had Daddy take the chair out of their room; nighttime feedings have been over for a long, long time and it just seems to clutter the room. Plus I figured Dad could use it as an ultra-comfy place to sit while watching UFC. But then something happened; we entered the stage of waking at night scared. For some reason these two won't go back to sleep in our bed (which may or may not be lucky for us), so rocking in the chair it is. I get to snuggle, smell their hair, squeeze them, sing to them, kiss their cheeks, dry their tears, and rock the scaries away. I love every minute of it, even though it means I don't get to snuggle into bed and drift off myself.
So even though our days are filled with me chasing them, them laughing and running away; me putting back together everything they take apart; them constantly putting their feet on the table at mealtime and climbing on everything in sight..... once in awhile nighttime is a treasure.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Rush Job
I have to make this quick, because I'm starting this new thing where I manage my time better. Nap time for the boys used to be my time on the computer. An hour or two of luxuriously free time, which I would gladly spend sitting on my kishter surfing the giant nothingness. Well now, I have given myself a half-hour for surfing, a half-hour for my workout, 15 minutes for post-workout shower, and the remaining 45 minutes (if I'm lucky, that is) for tidy-up from the pre-nap twinado.
So...recap... Father's Day. I found a recipe on the net for handprint clay and made it. It didn't work out well; the clay was too hard to really imprint on, and the boys didn't want to stick their hands in it. WHAT??!?! How could the boys not want to stick their hands in something wierd and sort of gooey?? They are boys, after all. So I compromised, stuck the clay in the microwave and worked it some more, then had the boys place their feet in. Then I used a toothpick to carve their names and the date, then baked the suckers. The recipe promised it would harden as it cooled, which it didn't, so the result was a play-doughey kind of mess with the boys feet in it. I gave the two supposed-to-be-smooth-discs to my husband for Fathers Day. They look like the boys actually made them out of play-dough. But whatever; we didn't get their hand/feet prints at birth so I still think this was a cool gift. Daddy says he likes them, and I will believe him. :)
~~~ We took the boys to the zoo last saturday, and had a great time. The zoo has a train ride, which the boys loved since they are crazy about trains. We saw an elephant, some arctic wolves, tigers, monkeys, a red panda, a camel, and other animals the boys have never seen before. At the Llama enclosure, David and JD tried to climb under the bar fence, and they fit perfectly... luckily we grabbed them first. Sadly we didn't take any pictures... on the next trip for sure we will document it with photographs.
So...recap... Father's Day. I found a recipe on the net for handprint clay and made it. It didn't work out well; the clay was too hard to really imprint on, and the boys didn't want to stick their hands in it. WHAT??!?! How could the boys not want to stick their hands in something wierd and sort of gooey?? They are boys, after all. So I compromised, stuck the clay in the microwave and worked it some more, then had the boys place their feet in. Then I used a toothpick to carve their names and the date, then baked the suckers. The recipe promised it would harden as it cooled, which it didn't, so the result was a play-doughey kind of mess with the boys feet in it. I gave the two supposed-to-be-smooth-discs to my husband for Fathers Day. They look like the boys actually made them out of play-dough. But whatever; we didn't get their hand/feet prints at birth so I still think this was a cool gift. Daddy says he likes them, and I will believe him. :)
~~~ We took the boys to the zoo last saturday, and had a great time. The zoo has a train ride, which the boys loved since they are crazy about trains. We saw an elephant, some arctic wolves, tigers, monkeys, a red panda, a camel, and other animals the boys have never seen before. At the Llama enclosure, David and JD tried to climb under the bar fence, and they fit perfectly... luckily we grabbed them first. Sadly we didn't take any pictures... on the next trip for sure we will document it with photographs.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Lovely Day
Awww...what a beautiful day today. Around the neighborhood I can hear people enjoying their Saturday. Some are laying gravel aside their garage, kids are laughing as they zip by on their bikes, and someone has a radio going. I mentioned to my husband a couple of nights ago that sometimes the various sounds around the neighborhood make me think of campsites, and the similar sounds. He looked at me like I was crazy and admitted he did not see any similarities at all. Oh well, I guess great minds don't always think alike.
I have big plans for our yard. Stuffed somewhere in my head are visions of a river-stone path, flower bed, those 5 ft fir trees along the fence, and a patio set. I love that I have these plans, and I love that it doesn't need to be done tomorrow...if that makes sense. I love that the yard is ours and over the seasons we can gradually build on it to match the vision in our minds. On a day like today, with the hot sun and cloudless sky watching, I love that I can sit outside and visualize and listen to the neighborhood likewise enjoying this wonderful Saturday until my skin blisters red. Well, maybe not that long; there IS skin cancer and painful burns to worry about, after all. But you get the idea.
I have big plans for our yard. Stuffed somewhere in my head are visions of a river-stone path, flower bed, those 5 ft fir trees along the fence, and a patio set. I love that I have these plans, and I love that it doesn't need to be done tomorrow...if that makes sense. I love that the yard is ours and over the seasons we can gradually build on it to match the vision in our minds. On a day like today, with the hot sun and cloudless sky watching, I love that I can sit outside and visualize and listen to the neighborhood likewise enjoying this wonderful Saturday until my skin blisters red. Well, maybe not that long; there IS skin cancer and painful burns to worry about, after all. But you get the idea.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thank You Stranger
This morning I rounded up the boys and we strolled outside for a walk on the nearby trail. I really love that we have a walking trail 25 - 30 steps from our front door! It's wonderful. Anyhow, this morning I ventured out with my boys on said trail, and came across a stranger. A woman was simultaniously walking her dog, swinging a contraption that launches a tennis ball out for a dog to chase after, and pushing a stroller. Now, I realize every situation is different and if I only had one boy, or if my boys were on bikes or something, I might be able to also walk my dog while taking my boys out. Putting boys who don't always listen together with a dog who never listens is a recipe for disaster, not to mention perfect conditions for my public meltdown.
* * *
I constantly feel guilty for not taking Diesel out; poor puppy wants to run so bad! I save his walk for after the boys go to bed. Well, after the boys go to bed I have a house to tidy, I am exhausted, and Diesels walk gets pushed away. So I am in awe of any woman who manages to get her kids out of the house and also take the dog for a walk.
As I watched incredulously (gee I hope my face wasn't nakedly showing my awe) this woman further floored me. She didn't ask the Usual 3... the Usual 3 questions any parent of multiples gets asked nearly every time they leave the house. What she DID ask me was "how old were they when they learned to walk?"
I answered this woman and as we chatted, I realized how much I miss talking to adults. I mean, really talking to adults, not just saying "yes, they are twins; no, the smaller one is the older one; (etc,etc)" . I was able to REALLY visit with another mom about kids and which stages they learn what, etc. It was AWESOME!!! She was so nice and eager for her little guy to walk (he walks along furniture and is just starting to venture out the first few steps without holding on).
* * *
I constantly feel guilty for not taking Diesel out; poor puppy wants to run so bad! I save his walk for after the boys go to bed. Well, after the boys go to bed I have a house to tidy, I am exhausted, and Diesels walk gets pushed away. So I am in awe of any woman who manages to get her kids out of the house and also take the dog for a walk.
As I watched incredulously (gee I hope my face wasn't nakedly showing my awe) this woman further floored me. She didn't ask the Usual 3... the Usual 3 questions any parent of multiples gets asked nearly every time they leave the house. What she DID ask me was "how old were they when they learned to walk?"
I answered this woman and as we chatted, I realized how much I miss talking to adults. I mean, really talking to adults, not just saying "yes, they are twins; no, the smaller one is the older one; (etc,etc)" . I was able to REALLY visit with another mom about kids and which stages they learn what, etc. It was AWESOME!!! She was so nice and eager for her little guy to walk (he walks along furniture and is just starting to venture out the first few steps without holding on).
So Thank You, whoever you are. I thoroughly enjoyed our chitchatting today, and thanks to your example, I feel more ready to bring my dog next time. You made an impact on my life today, and don't even know.
* * *
Friday, May 29, 2009
A Fence, Two Diapers, and a Happy Mom
YAY!!! The neighbors are putting their (our) fence up tomorrow. Now when I take the boys outside, I won't have to worry about the colorful wagon, tricycle, and sandbox (not to mention an assortment of other fun-looking toys) luring my sons over into the next yard.
Any time we are outside, be it playing in the yard or on a walk, the boys try to touch everything. I want to encourage that healthy curiosity with this new world they are learning about, while teaching them boundaries, and not permitting them to touch strangers' things. The item that attracts them the most is vehicles. They love cars, vans, especially big trucks. Every parked car they see, they rush over to touch, bang on, and scratch.
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Today David and JD were helping me .... more than they ever have before. I needed a couple of diapers and sent David for them; he actually came back with two diapers and handed them to me!! There were several incidents like this today, and it was wonderful. WONDERFUL!! Proof that they do listen, they do hear me, and they do understand. Since they do their best to ignore every reprimand and continue whatever it is I've asked them to stop, I was beginning to wonder if they understand english and if they could actually hear me. Today was a great day marking a new step in our parent/child relationship. I am not invisible! Hurray!!
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Any time we are outside, be it playing in the yard or on a walk, the boys try to touch everything. I want to encourage that healthy curiosity with this new world they are learning about, while teaching them boundaries, and not permitting them to touch strangers' things. The item that attracts them the most is vehicles. They love cars, vans, especially big trucks. Every parked car they see, they rush over to touch, bang on, and scratch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today David and JD were helping me .... more than they ever have before. I needed a couple of diapers and sent David for them; he actually came back with two diapers and handed them to me!! There were several incidents like this today, and it was wonderful. WONDERFUL!! Proof that they do listen, they do hear me, and they do understand. Since they do their best to ignore every reprimand and continue whatever it is I've asked them to stop, I was beginning to wonder if they understand english and if they could actually hear me. Today was a great day marking a new step in our parent/child relationship. I am not invisible! Hurray!!
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Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A Love/Hate Relationship
I love so many things about spring and summer. There are also things I cannot stand about these seasons, which is why fall is my very favorite time of year. My list is as follows, in no particular order.....
~I absolutely LOVE the smell of freshly cut grass, and I love the feel of it too, on my bare feet
~I do not like, indeed I hate grasshoppers and mosquitoes
~I love the smell of BBQ, especially if it is my BBQ creating that tantalizing smell
~I really enjoy warm summer rain...the kind where the clouds aren't entirely looming and suffocating, when you see a touch of sun rays and wonder how it can rain and be sunny at the same time....
~I do not like incredibly hot, sticky and slick, hard-to-breathe, pavement-hurts-my-feet-through-my-flipflops heatwaves.
~I love the smell of night air in the summer...you know the smell...
~I enjoy the warm spots in the lake (not to be confused with the warm spots in the pool - heehee), those spots that are such a nice break from the cold water everywhere else
~I love the flowers, and when the trees come alive with green buds in springtime
~I do not care for the end of a neighbors' party when, for some reason, their friends like to linger on the front lawn and by cars to hoot, holler, and yell for all to hear...I get very, very grumbly when this happens
~I love frosty's, slurpees, screamers, creamsicles, extreme creamsicles, and all other delicious cold ice-creamy treats
~I do not like bugs. Any bugs, any crawly things...don't like 'em.
~I like the smell of freshly-oiled dirt roads...I grew up on a dirt road and learned to love the smell
~I love that I can take my boys outside!!! It's nice to be out of the house after a long winter being cooped up.
There is my list...if I have forgotten any, and I very well could have, it's because I am in a rush. But basically, that is my love/hate list for summer.
I just realized this is my first post not about family, after I changed my blog to a family-oriented read. But I can switch it up now and then; unless the blogging police knock on my door....
~I absolutely LOVE the smell of freshly cut grass, and I love the feel of it too, on my bare feet
~I do not like, indeed I hate grasshoppers and mosquitoes
~I love the smell of BBQ, especially if it is my BBQ creating that tantalizing smell
~I really enjoy warm summer rain...the kind where the clouds aren't entirely looming and suffocating, when you see a touch of sun rays and wonder how it can rain and be sunny at the same time....
~I do not like incredibly hot, sticky and slick, hard-to-breathe, pavement-hurts-my-feet-through-my-flipflops heatwaves.
~I love the smell of night air in the summer...you know the smell...
~I enjoy the warm spots in the lake (not to be confused with the warm spots in the pool - heehee), those spots that are such a nice break from the cold water everywhere else
~I love the flowers, and when the trees come alive with green buds in springtime
~I do not care for the end of a neighbors' party when, for some reason, their friends like to linger on the front lawn and by cars to hoot, holler, and yell for all to hear...I get very, very grumbly when this happens
~I love frosty's, slurpees, screamers, creamsicles, extreme creamsicles, and all other delicious cold ice-creamy treats
~I do not like bugs. Any bugs, any crawly things...don't like 'em.
~I like the smell of freshly-oiled dirt roads...I grew up on a dirt road and learned to love the smell
~I love that I can take my boys outside!!! It's nice to be out of the house after a long winter being cooped up.
There is my list...if I have forgotten any, and I very well could have, it's because I am in a rush. But basically, that is my love/hate list for summer.
I just realized this is my first post not about family, after I changed my blog to a family-oriented read. But I can switch it up now and then; unless the blogging police knock on my door....
Monday, May 18, 2009
Thick as Thieves
Oh, I love my sweet little boys. They are brothers thru and thru. JD is the younger twin, by 12 minutes, yet he clearly views himself as the protector for his older brother David. I have seen it time and time again. As the days pass and they get older, that protectiveness has only grown with them.
When it is time for a meal, JD gets into his high chair and then points enthusiastically to Davids chair, saying "Brada", which I can only think would mean "brother". As I slide his table-tray into place, he motions again to David, wanting to make sure I do not forget to do the same for his brother. He does the same when I put their plates/bowls down... I switch it up so JD isn't always first, but it doesn't matter. He always looks out for his brother.
I understand this, while cute and adorable now, may be a problem later when they reach school-age; teachers are on the lookout for twins to see if they blossom on their own or if one is always the more passive twin. I know I need to watch out for that, and I try real hard to treat them equal and have one-on-one time with each of them. But David is a strong boy. He lets JD take care of him, but also lets him know if he doesn't want the cushion. So I'm not too worried...I do have to watch them and coax their own seperate personalities forth. But I also need to let them be brothers and keep that closeness.
It sometimes brings a tear to my eye though, watching JD care for his brother. When they hug and play together nicely, my heart swells with joy. The doctors tried to tell my husband and I that fraternal twins are just like normal siblings, no closer than sibs born a year or two apart. "they are just regular babies who happen to be born minutes apart" they said. They warned us to not expect the closeness of identical twins. But I say the doctors were wrong. I see it on a daily basis, how close my boys are. They are tight buddies and share private jokes and tender moments. They talk even though I don't have a clue what they are saying, but they seem to know exactly what the other is communicating.
Having twins may be double the work; having more than one child is alot of work. But it is also double the joy and happiness.
When it is time for a meal, JD gets into his high chair and then points enthusiastically to Davids chair, saying "Brada", which I can only think would mean "brother". As I slide his table-tray into place, he motions again to David, wanting to make sure I do not forget to do the same for his brother. He does the same when I put their plates/bowls down... I switch it up so JD isn't always first, but it doesn't matter. He always looks out for his brother.
I understand this, while cute and adorable now, may be a problem later when they reach school-age; teachers are on the lookout for twins to see if they blossom on their own or if one is always the more passive twin. I know I need to watch out for that, and I try real hard to treat them equal and have one-on-one time with each of them. But David is a strong boy. He lets JD take care of him, but also lets him know if he doesn't want the cushion. So I'm not too worried...I do have to watch them and coax their own seperate personalities forth. But I also need to let them be brothers and keep that closeness.
It sometimes brings a tear to my eye though, watching JD care for his brother. When they hug and play together nicely, my heart swells with joy. The doctors tried to tell my husband and I that fraternal twins are just like normal siblings, no closer than sibs born a year or two apart. "they are just regular babies who happen to be born minutes apart" they said. They warned us to not expect the closeness of identical twins. But I say the doctors were wrong. I see it on a daily basis, how close my boys are. They are tight buddies and share private jokes and tender moments. They talk even though I don't have a clue what they are saying, but they seem to know exactly what the other is communicating.
Having twins may be double the work; having more than one child is alot of work. But it is also double the joy and happiness.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
A Few Minutes Grabbed
WOW, what is wrong with me??? I swear I just posted the other day, but I looked and it was a couple of weeks ago. I don't know where time goes! One day turns into another, and then another, and before I can blink my boys are another month older. It's creeping me out how fast the days fly!! We had an opthalmologist appointment for JD the other day (seriously the other day, it was Wednesday) and when asked how old he is, my reply was 18 months. Guess what ??? He isn't 18 months, the boys are 20 months!! Where is my head?
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For those curious types, JD has astigmatism in both eyes and will most likely need glasses by preschool. We are to return to the eye doctor and have his eyes tested when he is 3. The reason we went ? His left eye tears for no reason quite often... sometimes every couple of days, but sometimes a couple of times a day. Anyway, the doctor said it wasn't a blocked duct, or we would see mucus too. Hmmmmmmm.
Other than that, the boys appear to be thriving. They are so energetic... JD loves to wrestle, even if David doesn't want to...he will just piledrive him and steamroller over him. When I lay on the couch, JD loves to jump on me. David likes to wrestle too, and has fun with his brother (most of the time). David loves to rake the grass...when we are outside he snags a rake or any tool he can find and gets right to work. It's so adorable. He is like that inside too...enjoys sweeping and wiping the floor with a towel. My sweet little guys.
The guys love to be outside, of course, and I am looking so forward to Grandpa Surry's birthday when we get to go to the lake again. The boys will LOVE it!!!! Last year they didn't know what to think of the lake but this year they will have a blast. I'm going to buy them waterwings.
My youngest brother is engaged now...I don't know any details (and because I'm a girl, it's killing me to not know how he did it, what the ring looks like, etc) but his fiance is a great girl and I am excited to have her in our family. I am so happy for them!! Yay James and Nola!!!!!
I think that's it for news for now...at least that's all I can think of. I have a floor upstairs that needs my fairly immediate attention, so I'm going to sign off now. One final thing to say : I MISS TAIYA'S THOUGHTS..... WHEN, OH WHEN CAN I READ MORE OF HER BLOG?????????? heeheehee.... said by the master procrastinator....
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For those curious types, JD has astigmatism in both eyes and will most likely need glasses by preschool. We are to return to the eye doctor and have his eyes tested when he is 3. The reason we went ? His left eye tears for no reason quite often... sometimes every couple of days, but sometimes a couple of times a day. Anyway, the doctor said it wasn't a blocked duct, or we would see mucus too. Hmmmmmmm.
Other than that, the boys appear to be thriving. They are so energetic... JD loves to wrestle, even if David doesn't want to...he will just piledrive him and steamroller over him. When I lay on the couch, JD loves to jump on me. David likes to wrestle too, and has fun with his brother (most of the time). David loves to rake the grass...when we are outside he snags a rake or any tool he can find and gets right to work. It's so adorable. He is like that inside too...enjoys sweeping and wiping the floor with a towel. My sweet little guys.
The guys love to be outside, of course, and I am looking so forward to Grandpa Surry's birthday when we get to go to the lake again. The boys will LOVE it!!!! Last year they didn't know what to think of the lake but this year they will have a blast. I'm going to buy them waterwings.
My youngest brother is engaged now...I don't know any details (and because I'm a girl, it's killing me to not know how he did it, what the ring looks like, etc) but his fiance is a great girl and I am excited to have her in our family. I am so happy for them!! Yay James and Nola!!!!!
I think that's it for news for now...at least that's all I can think of. I have a floor upstairs that needs my fairly immediate attention, so I'm going to sign off now. One final thing to say : I MISS TAIYA'S THOUGHTS..... WHEN, OH WHEN CAN I READ MORE OF HER BLOG?????????? heeheehee.... said by the master procrastinator....
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