Park Adventure

A few weeks ago when the weather was quite nice after an unseasonably long, cold winter, I decided to take the kids to the park. My seven-year-old daughter decided she wanted to ride her bike and her twin brother wanted to ride a scooter. They wanted to ride/scoot all the way to the "Doggie Park" which is a park located about 3 miles from our home (they call if the "Doggie Park" because it has a par course that circles the park and many people walk their dogs on the course). I went along with the idea knowing full well that we would never make it all the way to the "doggie park."

We set out on foot and scooter and bike, walked four blocks when my twins realized that we were coming up on a different park. They begged to "take a break" and play for a bit before we continued on our way to the "Doggie Park." So, we played for a bit, apparently just long enough to be too tired to want to keep trekking to the "Doggie Park". They begged me to go get the car so I could drive them home. Instead I ended up carrying a scooter, pushing a bike, holding two helmets, and anything and everything else we just could not leave home without. We barely made it home, we were so tired. However, the important thing is that we made it! We probably will not try that again too soon.

The Breakfast of Champions

Every morning I wake my twins, help them with sunscreen (remember, we use the Blue Lizard kind), and then I prepare their breakfast while they are getting dressed and brushing teeth. Before preparing their breakfast, though, I ask them what they want. My daughter often chooses an English muffin, her brother Max almost always asks, "Sissy, what do you want?"

I can't say that I blame him, I was much the same when I was a kid. I always wanted to know what my brother chose to eat, do, etc. before I would make my choice. Then I would so irritate my parents by deciding that I would have or do whatever he chose, too. Interesting, I am so not like that now, just ask my husband. In fact he often says, "I'm not sure why you are asking me, is it so you can automatically choose something different?" So, there is hope for Max, too.

Okay, I digress, but I have not ever figured out why Max asks because there is no pattern to what he chooses after he asks, sometimes he will have the same and often he will pick something different. Although I can say that he is generally a sweet person for breakfast. I try to feed them a healthy breakfast but that proves to be difficult when we are on the run (and my husband will often cave to the likes of a pop tart!). About as healthy as we get is waffles and yogurt. Not too bad but could be better. Max and Sissy don't seem to mind, however, they seem to like a little routine in their lives and who can blame them?

Go Fish!

One of the games my twins have been really into lately is "Go Fish!" Not sure why because they have a number of games but, they seem to like the simple games sometimes. I think of it kind of like when they were smaller (like, around two) and they received all sorts of really cool and thoughtful gifts and what they had the most fun with was the box.

Sissy and Max have many decks of cards but are not yet clear on the concept of a "full" deck. The other day I sat down with Sissy to play. I asked her if the deck was full. She said, "How many cards should we have?" I answered and she counted. She said we had the right amount so she dealt the appropriate cards and we played. I sorted my first hand and noted that I had a joker which made me think, "Hmmm." So, we played through the game and we had three lone cards left.

With all those decks of cards it's amazing that not one of them is complete. I can only have hope that someday they will get it.

Nerds

The other day while I was getting ready for my day Max came in and rolled around on the floor for a bit and we chatted about the goings on in his little seven-year old life. Then he says to me, "Mommy, I know what nerds look like." Curious about that I asked home what a nerd was, and this was his response:

They are about this tall [holding his hand about 8 or so inches above the ground], they run really slow, like I am so much faster than them, they are not so good at sports and would never even think about playing lacrosse. I think they read a lot, well...maybe no because I read a lot. And they are super smart! Hmmm, do you think they wear glasses?

Sissy waltzes in and not only corroborates his story but assures him that they DO wear glasses, too!

Where do they get this stuff?

Routines

So, I am trying to get back into the swing of things. Believe me, it is not for the lack of stories that I have not been posting. It's just that sometimes time gets away and getting on the blogs gets lost in the hustle.

Hoping to be back regularly this week, so look out for Max and Sissy!

Wake Up, Sleepyhead!

As I have mentioned countless times before, my twins act like an old married couple. They are usually very sweet to each other but, when they have their moment, watch out!

So, lately they have taken to helping me get the other twin up in the morning. Now our routine is that I will wake one of them up, and, yes, I do take turns waking one one day and one the next. Then we both go in and get up the sleepy head. Whomever sneaks in with me crawls up on the other one's bed and gives them the most ginormous hug. It is so sweet and I feel so blessed that they love each other so much.

Happy Monday!

Where to Begin...

Lately we have been having a little (read "much") difficulty getting our twins to complete their homework. They are such good kids...usually. I'm not sure if it's the age or something else but, lately they have been trying to skate by, rushing through the homework without paying any attention to the right answers. All so they can get outside to play. What has me in a quandary is that they have always been so good about taking turns that this is the first time that they are both tag-teaming us.

I might understand if only one of them was testing us but, both, together...I'm just not sure. The fact that they do not do their homework puts my husband in a complete tailspin and then the whole world is miserable. That is what makes it worse.

I totally understand that they would want to play but now is the time to create good study habits. So, the solution is that they get to go to an academic after school program where they will be worked with on their homework, given extra help in any areas they need it, and encouraged and challenged in areas where they are advanced. I'm hoping it works because I'm not sure what else to try at this point.

They are so young for the amount of homework and responsibilities they are given but, that is the way it is these days. Wish us luck!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy New Year!

As we all settle in to 2009 I am hoping to get back into my regular routine of posting to this blog. There are so many things to write about and so little time but, as the year progresses I hope to be more consistent than I have been since the inception of the holiday season.

Happy New Year!

Snorkeling - by Sissy

I have shared some stories before written my my 7-year-old daughter who is apparently destined to be an author. So, here's another story written by Sissy. I have not changed any spelling to preserve her meaning and intent. I hope you enjoy it.

Snorkling

One day a big fish swam by me when I was snorkling. A little brown dot came out of the big fishis butt and the little dot was popp and it flew on my head and we swam right out of the water. I went right to the showering place and I showered that popp of and then we wen't back snorkaling. My mom and dad said stay on my tail and so I did I stayed on there tails for ours and ours and soon I asked mom, dad do you no what you are doing thay said yes we are tacking you on a tour of the lack. My mom asked do you want to go on a oshen tour I said no because I am scared of sharkes and other animals. I sall a fish eating thay were eating coral. I am hungry I said to my mom she said to dad let's find our way our of her on to sand to get a hot dog of some sort. So when we found are way out now wee need to do is gind a hot dog stand and when we looked up we soll a hot dog and ice cream shop and so we ate there. I got a hot dog with a toy and for disert we hade coclet ice creem it was relly good my dad could not have any because it macks his stumic not feel good and then me hade to go home.

the end

Pink Eye or Just Tired?

'Tis the season.

The entire week of Thanksgiving our family went away and spent some time in Mexico, the Riviera Maya area south of Cancun. It was nice and relaxing and much fun for the children. There were so many things for them to do and so little time.

So, after our return home the children returned to school and we, my husband and I, returned to our work-a-day world. On the second morning of school I woke Max and when he opened his eyes they appeared to be a little red, one more than the other. I asked him if he was tired because of the activity the week before, I think we all were. He said, "Yes." I thought not another thing about it until the next morning when I woke him and his eyes were a little more red. I asked him if his eyes were itchy and he said, "No." And off he went to school.

The third morning his eyes were very red and I gave some thought to Pink Eye but Max said his eyes were not itchy or seeping so off to school for him. About noon, I received a call from my husband that the school nurse called, Pink Eye. So, my husband whisked Max off to the doctor and Pink Eye was confirmed. I had no idea that you could have Pink Eye without any other symptoms. Who knew?

Well, as expected he pulled through with flying colors after five days of eye drops four times per day. Oh, and an email from a mom of a child in his class apologizing if her daughter infected anyone with Pink Eye. Luckily Sissy escaped without it, which is amazing given how much they are in contact.

C'est la vie.

Wordless Wednesday

More To Come

So, I have to apologize for my extended absence. We left the country for Thanksgiving week, more to come on that later, and I am just trying to catch up with life, work, Christmas, and, oh, yes, blogging!

I will be back on a regular schedule next week.

Happy Holidays!

Packing, Again

Every time we decide to go somewhere I have my children pack their own outfits (seven is old enough!). This is how we do it:

I tell them how many days we will be gone and therefore how many outfits they will need. One outfit consists of a top, a bottom, underwear and socks.

One pair of jammies for every two or three nights.

Shoes, usually one tennis-type and one something else.

Bathing suit and other one-off items as well as an extra change of underwear and socks or two.

This works out well for everyone because they decide on the outfits to wear, I just bat clean up by making sure that everything is in each set, that each outfit matches (at least to some degree), and then load it all into the suitcase.

Well, usually what happens is that we do all this work and in the suitcase the outfits get remixed and at the end of each trip the children end up with outfits made up of what they have not yet worn and usually there are some really mismatched (read "glaring") outfits.

So, this time after inspection I had them load each outfit into a little baggie so each outfit will stay together and they can just pull the baggie out, get dressed and then we can reuse the baggie for the next trip. Of course, Sissy's are all labeled and divided into categories and Max's well, his are packed!

Happy travels!

What Do you Want to Get?

I told my twins they could each pick a gift for the other for Christmas. I gave them each the catalog that has so many choices circled that it is almost impossible to tell who circled what.

Max sat down with the catalog and managed to find something that was not circled. He came running over to me and said, "This is what I want to get for Sissy." It's funny, it was something she had showed me at the store and I'm not sure how she missed it in the catalog but she did. Max is so loving and sensitive and really pays attention to what people like.

Sissy, on the other hand, sits down and picks the first thing she sees that Max circled. I asked her if she was sure and she said, "Yes!" It was something small, so I asked her if she wanted to get something else and she said, "No, I just want to get him three of those." I had a hard time not laughing and just saying, "All right, I'll let you pick them then."

It's funny, they both went about the choice completely differently but I'm sure they will each be most appreciative of the other's choice. They do know each other well, must be that special twin bond.

Is the Tooth Fairy Too Busy?

My seven-year-old son lost another tooth a couple nights ago. Of course, I did not arrive home until after he was in bed so I had no knowledge of it until the next morning. This is how I found out:



I went into Max's room to wake him as usual and we followed our usual routine of a little quiet wake-up time, he gets out of bed on his own or I help (his choice) we fool around a couple minutes then I leave him to get dressed and ready for school while I complete my morning routine. So, yesterday we are fooling around on the floor of his room and all of the sudden he bolts to his feet, sprints across the room, and makes a diving leap onto his bed. I say, "Oh, no you don't!" Because I thought we was getting back in bed, which he sometimes does.



He eagerly lifts his pillow and his face melts. I look on as he lifts the little baggie with his tooth inside and says, "Awww, no tooth fairy." I was so sad. I had no idea that the tooth fairy was supposed to make a visit or I might have been able to plant a little reminder in her ear. I reply, "Well, Boo, a lot of children must have lost teeth last night and so she was really busy." That did not make him feel any better but it maybe provided an explanation for him to mull about.



So, last night when I tucked him in he lifted his pillow to check for his tooth with a hopeful gesture that the tooth fairy might not forget. Well, guess what? When I woke him this morning, the first thing he did was lift his pillow and check. The tooth fairy is so awesome, she remembered! Max had two brand new $1 bills under his pillow and he was so excited.



I know how busy parents are so the tooth fairy must be swamped. But it's the little things that mean so much to our children. Sometimes I forget that and it takes these little lessons to reinforce.

The F-Bomb

Last week after I awoke the children Max comes in and asks me what the F-word is. I reply, "I don't know, what is the F-word?"

"I don't know. Come on, just tell me."

"Where did you hear that word?" I ask

"No where."

"Well, then why are you asking what the F-word is if you never heard it? I would like to know who you heard it from."

"Umm, well...ummm. So, at school Alex said that Nick said the F-word. So, I'm asking what the F-word is."

"I'm not going to tell you what the F-word is because it is an inappropriate word to say at any age. And I don't want to say it and I certainly do not want you to say it." While thinking to myself, are seven year olds really supposed to be exposed to this stuff, they grow up so fast these days. I'm pretty sure I had no idea that the "F-word" existed when I was seven. Meanwhile, Sissy is sitting there taking it all in, as usual.

"Okay."

Wow, the questions are only getting tougher.

The Season of Receiving

Or...this is how Max sees it.

Yesterday Max and Sissy were in the hall or their bathroom or somewhere having a serious discussion about something, per usual. Then Max comes running in and says, "Sissy says that she is not going to get me a Christmas gift even if I get her one. If I get her one then she HAS to get me one."

I reply, "Christmas is the season of GIVING, not the season of RECEIVING."

Then, I stop and think for a moment and Max says, "Why is it the season of giving? Christmas is Jesus' birthday so he received gifts."

"Hmmm, you are right." Then I continue to I explain about the wise men and all the GIVING that occurred, the meaning of Christmas, etc.

"Well, then Sissy would be mean if she did not give ME a gift."

"That will be Sissy's choice. My guess is that she will decide to give you a gift. But, if she doesn't that's her choice."

All the while I know it will all work out. My twins are like an old married couple except that they use a lot of empty threats with each other. It can be quite painful to watch but the always kiss and make up before too much time passes. The twin bond is a lovely and unexplainable phenomenon.

You Know, Christmas Is Coming.

Max has been more than hinting for the last month or so that he would like to have a skateboard for Christmas. So, yesterday morning he wanders into my bathroom where I stand applying my make up to perfection and says, "Mommy, I would like to have a skateboard for Christmas."

I wonder to myself, "Did he think I did not hear that the twenty thousand times he has already said that?" He even showed me exactly which one he wants.

He continues, "Pleeeeeeaaaaaase, will you get me a skateboard for Christmas? Will you get me a skateboard? Why won't you get me a skateboard?" And so many more questions about a skateboard that I thought I might start to daydream about skateboards. Finally, I explained that presents are a surprise and if, only if, I was going to get a skateboard for him, I would not tell him because then it would not be a surprise.

Max takes a moment to digest this tidbit then says, "Well, if you do get me a skateboard then, you know which one I want, it's the one with the skulls and the black tires with the fire on them." (I am reminiscent to the Red Rider BB Gun In A Christmas Story here.)

I think to myself, I really should start deciding what I am going to do for Christmas as it is not that far away.

Can I Watch the Election?

Max woke up this morning, dressed right away, and came in to my bathroom where I was finishing up my make up masterpiece. He asks, "Is today the election?" To which I reply, "Yes, honey." He then starts talking about the elections in general. I thought to myself that they must be talking about it a lot in school. We talked about the presidential candidates, and then I challenged him with a math problem. "If you can vote when you are eighteen, how long until you can vote?" He calculated correctly, he is seven so he has to wait 11 years. Then, "If we only elect a president every four years, when will the next presidential election be that you will be able to vote in?"

"Four years, I thought we got to do this all again next year! That's no fair!" Then he calculated the right answer again, in three more presidential elections he will be able to vote.

As I complete my routine and start heading toward the kitchen, Max asks me again if he can "watch the election." I found this a little surprising because there is really not a lot to watch. He was asking as if he thought he would be able to watch a ball game.

I never allow TV in the morning but, for this particular special occasion, I acquiesced. He turned on the TV and then asked what channel he might be able to watch the election. I told him any of the news channels might have something on but, it just was too early to really see anything. Then, "Since I cannot watch the election right now, can I watch a kid's show?"

Now, there I draw the line. I told him that was not allowed. He peacefully turned the TV off, got his backpack and other items together and lined up at the door to leave. Given the ease of that entire encounter, I would try that again. See, elections can be peaceful.

You Hate Me Now, Don't You?

Those dreaded words that children say when something goes awry, at least mine say it.

Here's my most recent exposure to this:

I have to wake my children each day to get ready for school in time. Funny...on the weekends they can get up at the same time or earlier with no problems, but I digress. I generally wake them about 30 minutes before we have to leave. They have showered the night before so all they really have to do is get up, get dressed, wash face, brush teeth and comb their hair. So, 30 minutes seems like it should be plenty. Well, each day they would find more and more things to entertain them so we started leaving the house later and later. I finally told them that if they did not get up and get ready within the time parameters I allotted them I would have not choice but to wake them up earlier. I told them that the next time we were late I would start waking them when I get up because it appeared that they needed the extra time to get ready. I'm sure you can see it coming, they diddled around not too long after that conversation.

As we got in the car late again, I told them that since we would be late, again, I would wake them up early the next day. My son's reply, you guessed it, "You hate me now, don't you?" As I sat there in silence behind the wheel my mind started whirling about all the answers I could make to that question, but with my mind moving as fast as it was my filter must have been eaten in the process and I said, "You're right!"

Dead silence prevailed in the back seat. Then a meek, "I knew it."

I could not hold my tongue any longer so I got out my largest soapbox and my step ladder and climbed up. "First, you know I don't like that word because it is so strong. And, have you never heard of sarcasm?" I say. Both of my children are still silent in the back seat so I continue, "If mommy hated you would I have you in my car right now driving you to school? No, I would have left you home, alone, and let you figure out how to get yourselves there. Would mommy pay all the money she pays to have you in the best care after school? Nope, I'd let you walk home to an empty house." I am briefly interrupted, "You would not let us do that."

"Would mommy pay for all the activities that you want to do if I didn't love you?" I continue. Then, still met with complete silence (I'm not really sure what I expected them to say) I go for the jugular. "Do you think that when you say things like that you RIP Mama's heart out?"

"I'm sorry...I think I'm having kind of a bad day." I hear faintly from the back seat.

This all happens in a period of less than five minutes. When we arrive at our destination both my daughter and my son jump out of the car and the thought that crossed my mind was, "If they run, I wouldn't blame them one bit." But, instead, they both run over and give me a hug. Max says, "I love you, mommy!" Then they run off.

Me on the other hand, I'm feeling like a slug. I am the worst mom ever. Why did I do that?

Sale on Great Baby Items

Pishposhbaby.com has many great baby items and they have a coupon currently available for a discount. Here's a coupon code for pishposhbaby.com: Mom5. Expires 11/30/08.

Happy Shopping!

What's in a Name...or Two?

All prospective parents of multiples spend many hours of research and thought looking for the best baby names for twins. There are many schools of thought on this subject and then I have my own thoughts that I will only think about divulging as I write this post.

I found this quite interesting, the US Department of Social Security apparently tracks the names that parents give their twins. My guess is that they do this because when you complete the paperwork in the hospital for the social security number there is a box on the birth certificate that must be submitted that shows whether the baby was a single birth (or singleton as we PoMs like to call them), twin, triplet, etc. Then the birth certificate also asks for the baby number, which in the multiple arena are Baby A for the first born, Baby B for the second born, Baby C for the third and so on, then that birth certificate is submitted to the Social Security Administration before you can receive a Social Security number. I found this Popular Names of Twins for 2007 chart on their website. Who knew?

You will note that there are some major themes that occur with parents of multiples. In case you did not spot them, I'll lay them out in order of observed popularity:

1. Names begin with the same letter, check out the first ten most popular name combinations


2. Names that end alike, see Isabella & Gabriella, Andrew & Matthew, etc.


3. Biblical names


4. Names that begin with consecutive letters, see Alexander & Benjamin


and my personal favorite


5. Two names that the parents apparently liked that have no other relationship to each other.





Can you tell the route we went?





If you are looking for some names that have clever relationships with each other, wonder over to Behind the Name and you may see some names for twins you like there. And this site has some clever ideas and some dos and don'ts as well as other considerations to make when naming your twins.





The most important thing when choosing names for your baby twins is that you like the names because you will be using them and hearing them for your entire life. Have fun and get creative. Let me know what you come up with.

Twins Are Smart!

I am relieved and surprised by today's report in USA Today.

Apparently, previous studies of twins and singletons showed that twins lagged behind singletons by 5 to 6 IQ points at the age of six. Of course, I never knew this but now that I do I wouldn't have believed it if I had. Our pediatrician told us that twins typically lag behind singletons because twins are usually born at an earlier gestational age making them weeks or even months younger than their singleton counterparts but that all evens out by about third grade.

Well, apparently our pediatrician is right because a recent study performed in the Netherlands, the results of which are published in the current issue of the Intelligence journal, concludes that any IQ differences that were previously thought to exist disappear by the time children reach the age of 12 years old.

Wow, now I hope you can relax.

Wordless Wednesday

Webkinz Cheats, Um...I Mean Craze!

I'm not sure if your children have met the Webkinz world or not, yet, but if they haven't, just wait! And if they have you know what I mean. So, Webkinz are these really cute little stuffed animals that have a buzz surrounding them almost like Beanie Babies way back when. A big difference is that this is the computer era unlike the time of the Beanie Baby, so once you buy the animal you not only have the cute little cuddly object to snuggle with, you can use the secret code that is on the label to log on to the Webkinz site and enjoy your animal in a virtual world. In this Webkinz World you can collect points that are used to buy your Webkinz clothes and other virtual accessories.

My twins have been into Webkinz for over a year now and they are hooked. They love the animals, especially Sissy, and they think it is fun to enter into the virtual Webkinz World, especially Max. I know, girl/boy, yin/yang, and all that stuff.

The other day as I am reading an article I find out about Webkinz Cheats. What are Webkinz Cheats you might ask? Well, apparently there are ways you can "cheat" to get points without actually jumping through all the required hoops so you can amass points, and therefore objects, more quickly. And, Webkinz knows about these various cheat methods but can only "fix" them so quickly. So between the time they are discovered and a fix is implemented they are readily accessible to take advantage of.

Of course, my first thought is, "That is kind of cool that that stuff is out there," then as I dwell on what I just thought I start to ponder what that teaches my children. Children are exposed to so many things these days that I'm not sure Webkinz Cheats is something that I want to introduce to them. It's one thing to "earn" all the points but to intentionally seek out the cheats, I'm not sure if I am okay with that for my children. As I put more thought into this (yes, I know, too much thought into a silly subject) I wonder if these "cheats" are actually found by children or are there adults lurking on the site, too? I know, too much thinking.

Anyway, my decision is to keep my findings to myself and let my children experience the innocent play that they are entitled to as children. As for the Internet, they are never allowed to surf without an adult, be it sitting on an adults lap or an adult peering over the shoulder, and we will continue with that protocol for quite a while. You can never be too careful!

Please Look After This Bear

I'm sure you all can remember that those are the words Paddington wrote on his tag when he arrived at Paddington Station in London from Lima, Peru. Well, Paddington turns 50 today, October 13, 2008. That is so hard for me to believe.

Although I was not alive 50 years ago Paddington was a huge hit in our home when I was growing up. My sister had a Classic Paddington Bear, or maybe it was more than one, that she took everywhere with her and I read all the books, like Paddington Treasury (Paddington Bear). The books were my favorite books and there were a slough of them!

My twins never really got into Paddington but now that I remember how much I enjoyed reading the books I think I just came up with a gift for my daughter. I bet she will love to read about Paddington.

Shower Power

Last night when everyone came home the children followed their usual routine, they shower, eat, read, and complete any other homework they need to, and then, if they have any time left, they can watch television.

I was home last night, which I have said before is a rarity in our home, so the children came in, spoke with me for a minute about the goings on of their respective days and raced to the shower. My son usually showers first then Sissy. I was busily making dinner and catching up with my husband on the day's accomplishments. As we were chatting Max comes running out of the bathroom with barely the worst of the water dried from his still dripping wet body. I encourage him to dry a little more and get some clothes on while Sissy jumps into the shower.

As my husband and I were chatting we heard this blood curdling scream we look at each other and Max is all ready booking down the hall into the bathroom yelling, "That was Sissy! Sissy are you all right?" My husband takes off down the hall too with me bringing up the rear. We are all standing in the bathroom and we see Sissy standing in the shower crying her eyes out. As she tells it she was "calling and calling" us to get her a towel and no one came (because no one heard her). Luckily for all of us, the scream was one of frustration and not one representing something terrible as we all thought. We solved the towel issue and she completed her shower with no further adieu.

When we sat down for dinner I found that after that adrenaline mandating experience my appetite had been replaced with the after effects of the experience. I'm just so happy that it was just a missing towel caper!

In-N-Out Anniversary Special

Max and Sissy so lovingly call In-N-Out, Inside Out, but they really mean In-N-Out and they love, LOVE to go there. Unlike most other children neither one of them, when given the choice, would choose McDonald's over In-N-Out, unless of course the Happy Meal toy is something they could not fathom living without. But unless that unfortunate circumstance arises, we are on our way to In-N-Out Burgers for some never frozen beef patties and fresh made, like you can see them actually cutting the potatoes in the window, french fries. Yum!

Now, I just read that for their 60th Anniversary on October 22nd rumor has it that they may, and I said MAY, be selling hamburgers for $0.25 each, cheeseburgers for $0.30 each, fries for $0.15, and drinks for $0.10. Apparently the Corporate office denies this promotion which I am glad about. The lines are long enough without the added benefit of a discount.

Now why did I not think of that?

Trading Truce

After a considerable amount of loud unpleasantness Sissy appears from the hall way.

"Max always wants to trade me something and I NEVER want to trade him."
"Well, then don't trade." Daddy replies.
"But if I don't trade, he comes into my room and says, 'PLEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSE, you NEVER trade me.' He's not supposed to be in my room. I am going to charge him a dollar. Actually he has been in my room 50 times so I will charge him FIFTY dollars."
"There is no trading allowed in this family, you both know that."
"I KNOW! But he keeps coming in MY room and saying PLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSE! So you better tell HIM."

Then Sissy stomps out of the family room. There is considerably more discussion then a truce. Aw, how sweet the sound of silence.

We try to let the children work out their differences and not become involved too much because that is clearly a no-win situation. The thing about Max and Sissy is that they are so close that they cannot remain angry or upset with each other. Their disagreements can be trying at times but they seem to make amends before long and I think they actually become closer for it. If that is possible...

Twin Birth Announcements

One of the most often asked questions for parents that are expecting multiples is, "Where can I find nice [or cute] twin birth announcements?" Well, they were much more difficult to find when my twins were born and so I went with something from Crane's, but I recently came across this website, Ballyhoo Creations, and it looks like they have some really cute creations.

I really like this one

but they have quite a few others. I will also post other sites that have things of interest to twin parents or parents of multiples as I come across them.

Party Rama

Last weekend we celebrated our children's birthday. We have taken to not throwing parties at home any more because we live it before, we live it during, and we live it after. We'd rather just live in the present. So, this year we went bowling.

Sissy invited 6 friends, Max invited 6 friends, and we had family there, too. Well, it was a lot of fun but my husband and I both overlooked the fact that a bowling party would fall entirely on our shoulders as far as keeping the order, directing the activities, etc. It was dicey at times for us, the kid's, though, had a ball! Lucky for us we had some great friends and relatives in attendance that really helped.

I guess the best part is that the children had a lot of fun. But...next year we already decided it's back to Disneyland for us!

Fair is Fair

I decided that this year I will volunteer in my children's classes even though, typically, I work more than full time. The problem is that they are separated into two class rooms and volunteering twice is difficult. I have been volunteering in Max's class correcting their daily, timed, math tests as well as correcting homework and extra assignments at home. My daughter let me know in no uncertain terms that she thought it unfair that I was volunteering for Max's class but not hers.

The reality is that Max's teacher had her volunteers begin almost immediately after the school year started and my daughter's teachers just had the volunteer meeting yesterday. I was able to split the correction of the same math tests in my daughter's class with another mom and on the same day I do the tests for Max's class. In addition to that I will correct homework and take on other assistance, as needed.

The difficult part is that there are no answer keys so, oh...to be in second grade again...I feel like I am living it.

Wow, It's Been A While!

I have been off for the last few days enjoying my children. I have had the opportunity to attend their schools, pick them up and take them to their various events, and eat dinner (that I cooked) as a family. It has been such a change for me and a good one. So good, in fact, that I have posted nothing for the last couple of weeks. Sorry! I am now back on board and back to my regular posting schedule.

I did not know

I had no idea that the US government collected the names of twins born in the US and published the most frequently used names. Check out the US Social Security's website for the 2007 list of most popular names for twins.

What interests me about the list is how many of the names are alike. What's also interesting is that neither of my children's names are included.

So Close

My daughter often will get up early to chat with me while I am getting ready. This morning, she came in to my bathroom while I was getting ready and laid down on the floor. I covered her with my bathrobe so she could stay warm and relax as we chatted. After a bit, while I was still getting ready, Max came in too and snuggled up next to Sissy. I pulled the bathrobe over him too. They just laid there next to each other like yen and yang. They are so close!

I'll Dribble You For It

This morning, like some mornings, Max decided that he was mad at his sister. It isn't always Max that has an issue, it's often his sister, so that, too, they share fairly equally. This morning the issue was that Sissy ate all the lemon yogurt and that's what he wanted, never mind all the other days when I asked (read "begged") him to have some yogurt and he declined politely.

Today went something like this:

"Honey, what would you like for breakfast?"

"A cereal bar and some yogurt, please."

"What kind of yogurt, I think we have strawberry, peach, and some other berry kind."

"I want lemon!"

"I think we are out of lemon but, I'll check"

"That's not fair! Lemon is my favorite. Sissy knows that and she ate all the lemon yogurt just so I could not have any! She knows I ONLY like lemon!" All this as he kicks the door.

"I think Sissy only ate one lemon yogurt."

"No she didn't, she ate them all."

"Well, I only packed her one and so Daddy must have eaten the others."

"I know Sissy ate them all because she knows I ONLY LIKE LEMON!"

"I will get you some more lemon yogurt at the store soon."

"I don't want lemon yogurt later, I want it NOW! Besides if you get it later Sissy will eat it anyway."

"We can put your name on some of them to be sure that you get some."

Okay, I engaged and I probably shouldn't have but at this point his bedroom door closes sharply and I head to the kitchen to get breakfast together. I then hear quite a scuffle down the hall and Max appears relaying that Sissy "traded" him something and now she took it back. I tell him that they need to work it out. Shortly, Sissy comes in and says that she took back something she gave Max because he did not give her anything for it, i.e., not a trade. I tell her the same that I told Max, "You two need to work this out." There is some more loud discussion and some accusations from each of them that I like the other one better then they both appear with half smiles on their faces. Sissy announces, "Mommy! We solved it. We decided that we will have a dribbling contest at school today and whoever wins gets to keep it." I don't ask any questions, I just agree, as long as they solved it and I don't have to be the judge. They were best of friends after they agreed to the contest, too. It's great to be close with your siblings.

Balloon Boquet

My children are turning a year older and you know what that means, that means we have to throw the requisite party. Since our children are twins we try to do something at the same time and in the same place. The first three years we threw the party at our home with jumpy house, decorations, etc. The next two years we took the children to Disneyland in lieu of a party, that was the best decision we have made yet because Disney did all the planning for us. Last year and this year we are having the party outside our home. We let them each choose and last year and this year we have been lucky that they chose the same venue. This year it's bowling!



Well, although my children want a bowling party they still wanted to each pick a theme for the party other than bowling. Max chose Spongebob and his sister chose Pokemon. Well, Spongebob is everywhere and Pokemon, well, it is not so easy to find.



In looking for all the requisite themed party paraphernalia, I drug my children to a local party store. As we approached the door Sissy sees a sign in the front plate glass window that had the cutest little sea otter on it. She stops and Max stops beside her and they both marvel at how cute the little sea otter is. Under the picture it says in big bold letter, "WARNING!" Sissy starts to read the sign with Max's help. I peer over their shoulders and help them. The sign reads, in a nutshell, that although balloons are fun you should take care not to let them fly away because they eventually pop and land in the ocean and the sea creatures ingest them then suffocate.



My children were so sad because, like every child I'm sure, the love to let their balloons go and watch them fly away into the sky. So, Sissy looks at Max and says, "So, no balloons for us this year, okay? Is that a deal?" Max looks at her with big eyes and says, "Yes, it's a deal. That is so sad." Then he turns to me with sad eyes, "Is that the sea otter that died, mommy?" Awwww.



My children have since decided that it is okay to have balloons for their party but they will make sure that they are all disposed of properly, that is to "pop them and throw them away in the garbage can." So, balloons they will have!

What Am I...Sliced Bread?

Last weekend my mom took my children shopping, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. We met at noon for lunch and to exchange children. As my husband, my daughter and I arrived, my son, Max, was standing inside the restaurant with my mom. We opened to door and Max walked right by me and his daddy to give his sister a hug. They are so close. My husband has mentioned several times, like almost weekly, that if something were to happen to us they would still have each other and that is almost more important.

Maybe Someday Your Wife Will Tell You...

I went to our favorite store last weekend, Trader Joe's, with my two children. If you have a Trader Joe's in your area and you have never been, I highly recommend a stop. They have really great values and good wholesome food, for the most part. Okay, I digress.... We completed our shopping and you so know that when you have children with you you end up buying so much more than you thought. We went in to get yogurt (my favorite Greek Style Nonfat yogurt) and some thing else, I forget what it was but it was only one other thing. We ended up with no less than 25 different yogurt containers courtesy of the children and a bunch of other items I had no idea we "needed."

After we completed our shopping we walked outside with our grocery bags (I bought the reusable ones and always forget to take them with me. I am really trying to be more green but, that story is for another day). As we walked outside my daughter announced that she had to go potty. We marched through the entrance doors, bags in hand and headed toward the rear of the store for the rest rooms. We settle into the women's restroom, the three of us, and the ambiance is really quite pleasant. I lock the door as my daughter takes care of business and Max pokes around the room. He sees this display on a table in the corner of the restroom, points at a cup full of tampons and asks me what they are. I reply, matter of factly, "Those are tampons, honey." Bracing myself for any follow up and, of course, he does follow up, "What are tampons?" I think for a moment and reply, "There something women need...sometimes." I see his little brain processing this information and hope no request for how they work follows.

My daughter looks at me quizzically then says, "Oh, I know." She "knows" because there is really no such thing as privacy in our home and has asked me before about what is going on there. Anyway, Max then asks, "Well, what do women need them for?" I think for a second and my daughter pipes in and says, "Maybe someday your wife will tell you. I'm certainly not telling you."

It's good to be protected sometimes.

YaWhoDee

My children are at an age where they deny everything and what they do not deny they blame each other for. So, we have a little joke going that anything that happens and no one knows who did it we blame on YaWhoDee (I'm really not sure how to spell it so I spelled it phonetically). It is really funny to see their little faces crack when YaWhoDee takes the blame.

Wake Up Sleepy Head!

My children could play together 24/7. They really cannot stand to be apart for that long. They sleep in separate rooms and so when they go to bed they are separated for the evening...usually. Every morning Max gets up first and then goes and wakes his sissy who requires much more sleep than him. Waking up before she is ready only makes her really cranky until her mind wakes up and then only kind of cranky for the remainder of the day. So, to try and head off this behavior at the pass, we told Max that he should not wake his sister and if he did that they would have to go to bed 15 minutes earlier to make up for the lost sleeping time. So, given that scenario Max has decided that he can get up and turn on the television without any help from his sister.

Well, yesterday morning I hear this thump like someone is getting out of bed and then I hear Sissy's voice. I quickly head down the hall and there is Sissy standing beside Max's bed with her hand lightly brushing his cheek saying ever so softly, "Maaaaaaaax, it's time t get up, come play with me." I poke my head around the corner and note the surprise on Sissy's face. I whisper to her, "Honey, please let Max sleep. He has been really tired lately and needs his sleep." She follows me down the hall her feet padding along rather heavily. We reach the end of the hall and she says, "But I really want someone to play with me." My response, "I'll play with you, what do you want to play?" She looks at me with this look that suggests I do not understand her at all. Then she says, "Well, TV." So we sat on the couch and watched a "kid's show." As we were settling in, guess who appears? Yes, it's Max, our resident light sleeper who takes after his Mom.

Their bond is unexplainable. They would really rather have each other than either Mommy or Daddy usually. Although they do totally understand when they need us for something that their sibling cannot provide. A twin bond is a wonderful and powerful thing.

Endless Summer

It was not long ago that I was thinking that summer was here and what ever were we going to do with the kids for the long days of summer? Today, they return to school. Time passes so quickly.

That special bond that they have made the summer pass by like the blink of an eye. Were there moments when the school days could not be here too soon? Yes. But after each argument or fight, they always make up and are the best friends they were before. And it all happens so fast. The special twin bond is a glorious thing to experience.

Happy back to school!

Double Dare

Last night my husband and I went to dinner so we had someone watching the children. When we arrived home around 10:00 both children were still awake and Max was especially loving. As we chatted with the person that stayed with them we were informed that Max stuck his hands into the toilet ( I know, is it only my children?) after he peed and pooed in it. I decided not to ask about it because Max was supposed to tell us he did it, so I waited.

This morning when we asked him to clean up his room he complained of a tummy ache. With that I broke, "Max, I heard that you stuck your hands in the toiled full of pee and poop! If you did not wash your hands well after that you could get sick." I guess I expected him to say he did scrub his hands but instead he had this poor puppy look on his face. I asked "So, did you scrub your hands well afterward?" Still looking at me with the long face and sad eyes, he responds, "No. But Sissy double dared me!"

It was bad enough that he did not wash his hands but a dare? Then it came out of my mouth before I could stop it, I'm sure you know what is coming, "Well, if Sissy dared you to jump off a bridge, would you?" I'm not sure if I was more disgusted with myself or with him for not washing his hands.

All in a day in a life with twins...

The Spongebob Blow Up aka The Big Boating Test

As I am working away this afternoon on my blog, my daughter comes down and asks if she can write a story, here it is:

One day Spongebob went to Mrs. Puff's Boating School. It was their final driving test and Spongebob said, "I sure don't think I can get my license. It's really hard to do that, I mean, way hard." Mrs. Puff is going to have two kids at a time in a boat. I think that's going to be hard because two of us have to drive at the same time in one boat with only one steering wheel, one brake but two horns, of course! 'Cuz Mrs. Puff blows up if she crashes. But I got my license. It was really hard. I mean, really hard! And I am serious.



My vehicle was really fun because mine was only five sea dollars with some fire designs. I drove it everywhere and I mean everywhere! I drove it to the Krusty Krab back home from the Krusty Krab, to Patrick's house even Sandy's house and even Squidward's house even though it is right next to my house.

The End.

Enough is Enough...or Not!

We have to wake the children at 3:30 in the morning in order to arrive at the airport in time for a scheduled flight. My husband and I keep saying it will be okay because they will sleep in the car and on the plane. Well, guess what? They did not sleep at all! Okay, maybe they closed their eyes for a few minutes but no more. And not nearly for the amount of time we anticipated.

They chatted and played all day long. We tried for an early bedtime but that was not too successful. At bedtime we told them they needed to sleep or we would separate them. They kept chatting and chatting. They were together all day. As a matter of fact they are together all day everyday! What could they possibly still need to talk about after sixteen straight hours of being together?

Twins...I don't think you can understand it unless you are one.

Cane Shoes?

Back to school shopping....oh, the memories! The new school year for us begins in two weeks and because we, like everyone else you know, have a lot on our collective plates between now and then, we spent a few hours last weekend shopping for school clothes and shoes. I remember being so excited to perform the ritual shopping trip as a youngster but, as an adult, I often find myself thinking, "I'm not sure why we are doing this when the children have plenty to wear that still fits them." They grow so fast and I feel like we are not taking full advantage of the clothes that fit them.

Shoes, on the other hand, now those really do need to be replaced more often because I can never get the straight scoop from the shoe store personnel about what size my daughter and Max are, and to complicate matters, there is really no uniform shoe size, some run too big, some too small, and some are just right! I can guarantee you though that if my child likes that shoe and they do not have another size then they will undoubtedly say, "It fits!" even when you can see their big toe curled into the end like a sausage.

First stop...shoes. As we were driving to the shoe store we discussed what kinds of shoes we were looking for, my request (I guess it was really a mandate), one pair of other than tennis shoes and one pair of tennis shoes for each. My daughter wanted to get some pink shoes,I bet you are surprised! And maybe some DC tennis shoes. My son only wanted DCs.

As we pull into the parking lot my daughter laughs out loud and says, "Mommy, remember when Max only wanted shoes with 'canes' on them? Now it's only DCs."

The story of the "canes" is that when Max was four years old he told his daddy that he needed some new shoes and he only wanted shoes with "red canes." Max's shoes fit just fine and we could not figure out the obsession or the meaning of the "cane" despite the many questions that we asked. Not being a "cane' family and a K-Swiss one instead we started asking many questions the answer to each query being, "I don't know." We were still stumped when it did come time to by new shoes and the fixation on "canes" had not waned, so my husband took Max shopping to find out about these "red canes." Of course, the first store visited had no "canes" in sight, so off to the next store they go. Max's eyes light up as they enter the shoe section and Daddy finally sees what Max was talking about. Have you figured it out? It's the Nike swoosh! I guess they could look like canes?

He was only four and somehow there was some prestige in his mind with those shoes "with canes". Boy, it does start young, doesn't it?

One Fish, Two Fish...

My children begged for a pet, so the Easter Bunny brought them each a fish tank and their worn down parents bought them some fish. I think the novelty has worn off, at least for our son. His twin sister, on the other hand, has quite a concern for her goldfish. She is most responsible feeding them and always tracks us down to let us know that there is a "long poop hanging from one of the goldfish." She has named hers after her favorite show, Hannah Montana. So, the names are Lily, Hannah, and the "cleaner fish" is named Jackson. But those names, too, are subject to change.

Our daughter's fish are getting pretty big. Her twin brother's, Max, fish, on the other hand, seem to be staying exactly the same size. Max's cleaner fish floated on the bottom of his tank for a couple days, maybe longer, before he noticed it was upside down. And now that the fish is dead, he does not seem to be getting any algae in his tank. I'm no fish expert but I'm pretty sure that is not a good sign for the other fish.

It has been a good lesson for us and a good experiment for them. So glad we did not wilt and get a dog!

Skeeters...Eaters

Max woke up this morning with a couple of mosquito bites, actually four, one centered on his right cheek and three wrapped around his upper left arm. He said he was itchy so I smeared some hydrocortisone cream on all the bites and asked him to get dressed.

I go about my morning routine and walk toward his room to check on his progress only to see him studying his cheek in the mirror and speaking with his twin Sissy. He is asking her if the bite is visible to her. She replies that she is glad she does not have any of those but it's no wonder because she always leaves her pajamas on at night. He turns to me and whines, "I look so ugly!" Of course, I am horrified that my six-year old son just said he was ugly but, I put that aside and ask him why he would say that. He sticks his finger right on top of the mosquito bite, pushing hard like he is trying to push it through his cheek. I hold myself together as I explain that those things happen and I cannot really see it any way. We complete our routines and move into the car.

As I am driving the children to Camp, Max asks me if mosquitoes get themselves inside your clothing to bite. I tell him I guess it's possible but usually not. His response, "Well, then, I guess I should not sleep naked any more!" I was afraid to ask why and I'm still not sure exactly what he meant. I did not think to check any other place for bites and I did not see him itching anywhere else. I'll probably never know and sometimes it's better that way.

Just Like An Old Married Couple...Or Not!

This morning my twins, six years old, woke up and were cuddly with each other just like every morning. Then just as quick as you could bat your eyes the mood changed. They have both decided that the card game War is their most loved game and therefore their "War cards" are each of their most prized possessions.

I was minding my own business in the kitchen preparing their breakfasts when I hear this argument begin and continue and continue and continue. (I try to let them work it out so it does not appear I am taking sides.) I complete the breakfast and walk down the hall where they are both still standing in their pajamas. I grab their toothbrushes and toothpaste, put them in a baggie and notify them that it is time to leave, if they don't have their clothes on I can grab those too and they can get dressed on the way to Camp. They both can get dressed amazingly fast when they have to!

By this time my daughter is running around screaming and stomping her feet while Max proclaims he did not do anything. I explained to my daughter that it is all right to be upset, angry or just plain mad and when she wants to talk about it to let me know. She blurts out something about "war cards" and Max tosses a deck of cards from his pocket onto the floor in front of her. I think to myself, ah ha!

Now my daughter screams hysterically, "Not those cards!" and Max sheepishly picks up the cards and slides them back into his pocket. We all proceed to the car and after we all climb in, Max hands his sister a different deck of cards. She mutters something about a rubber band as I see the rubber band fly through the car. I brace myself for the short ride to Camp and Max leans over and rubs his sister's arm. When we all jump out of the car in front of Camp, it appears nothing ever happened. And me, well...I don't think I will ever understand the very special twin bond.

Boston Blues

I spoke to the children each night while I was away and each night they each expressed how much they wanted me to come home. So, each night I would tell them how many more nights they had to sleep until they would pick me up at the airport with Daddy.


The second night I was away my daughter got on the phone and started bawling. I couldn't understand a word she said although I was trying hard and Max, her twin brother, was heard in the background saying, "She just misses you, Mommy." I played out in my mind what to do because I was too far away to hold her. This is what I came up with, I started by asking her if Mommy was to bring her home a souvenir or special gift from Boston what would she want. To which she replied, "I don't know" in her rather whiny voice. I explained that in my adventures that day I saw a pink visor that says "Boston" on it, would that be something that she would like? She started to come around rather quickly and asked a couple of questions about whether it would look something like her Minnie Mouse visor that says "Cutie Pie" on it but instead it would say "Boston." I said, "Exactly!" And she expressed that was something that would interest her.





Then, faster than I could think of the next thing to say, she blurts out in as clear a voice as I have heard her use, in other words you would not have known she had been bawling her eyes out just minutes before, "And I'd like a stuffed elephant with a pink shirt that says 'Boston' on it!" Her quick and sure expression made me think I was listening to the child in A Christmas Story who wanted the Red Rider BB Gun. I thought to myself, "Huh?" but what I said is "I will make best efforts to find one but no promises."



Then, Max, obviously being within earshot of the conversation gets his turn to speak to me. He is not upset at all, he takes the phone in has small six-year-old hand and says, "And I'd like a red hat with a "B" on it...oh and a jacket too. A red one with a "B" on it." After he tells me exactly what he wants from Boston he assures me that he misses me, tells me that he loves me, and hangs up.



So much for missing mommy. I guess life is better when you have a twin to rely on.

Separating Twins in School? - Preschool Flashback

I know that there is a continual debate about whether or not to separate twins and other multiples in school. Here's true story that happened to us.

When our twins were in pre kindergarten class, the teacher assessed each of the children to evaluate and propose whether each child should progress to kindergarten. So, as the class was on task doing some project the teacher would pull one student aside and issue an oral assessment evaluation. When it was my daughter's turn the teacher began the evaluation and as she proceeded through the testing my daughter became stuck on a question about a letter, I cannot remember the exact question but that is irrelevant to the story anyway. Max, being the attentive twin brother that he is, noticed that his special sister was stuck and "whispered", in a voice loud enough to hear down the hall in the administrator's office, "The answer is 'Q'!" The teacher was surprised that help was so readily available and scolded Max telling him that she was assessing his sister and he was not to help her any more. To this scolding he replied in an indignant voice, "I can too help her, we're twins so we are the same!"

After that enlightening yet entertaining experience, the teacher recommended that we separate the children in Kindergarten. We did not take her advice but thought long and hard about it. We did however separate them after Kindergarten but for reasons other than assisting each other academically.

Gentlemen and Ladies

When you have twins everything has to be "fair" and "equal", as if that is even possible! I have to say that my children, like all children, have their moments but they are, for the most part, aiming to please, especially when it comes to me. This is what I mean, every morning Max opens my car door for me, waits for me to get in and let him know I am ready. Then he closes the door, waits for me to say "Thank you" and climbs into the car.

Well, since my daughter watched this go on for a long time she decided it was not "fair" for Max to get to do this every morning, so now her self-appointed job is to wait for me to set the alarm, open the door into the garage for me and then close it as fast as she can after I pass through. She is always "scared" that the alarm is going to go off if we do not get out in three seconds flat and, of course, closing the door quickly minimizes the time.

They will carry anything I leave on the floor to go out to the car without asking and put it in the front seat. And, if Max decides that he will open the garage door for me on one day then my daughter will automatically take on the car door duties. It must be a fairness system that they have worked out between them because after all twins are all about equality.

I have to say that even though sometimes parenting is difficult, it's gestures like these that make it all worthwhile.

Bah-ston

So, I am travelling to Boston for a few days then to NY for a few ours to visit my sister. My children are going crazy with emotion over me being gone. Although I do work outside the home, I rarely travel, so they are almost anxious over the prospect. Last night after a big weekend of company (translated, no sleep) they were both laying in my lap sobbing about how much they were going to miss me while I was gone. I explained to them that it was only going to be for four nights, then they would pick me up at the airport on the fifth night.

Then my daughter stops crying for a moment and says, "So are you going to take us to camp all week?" I replied that I would take them Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Then she asked with a little grin on her face, "Then on Wednesday will you take us for doughnuts before you drop us off?" What can I say but, "Of course."

So, sensing my moment of weakness Max stops crying to and says, "Since you are going to Boston will you get me a cap that says Boston on it?" I made him no promises but said I would look, thinking that is a little more expensive than doughnuts. Then he says, "Oh, and a jacket too please!" Then my daughter says she wants a bear that says Boston on it, is there such a thing?

My lesson: it is much more expensive than I thought to travel without the children.

Wow, I never knew...

Check out wikipedia and it's information on twins and multiples. There is quite a lot of information here all laid out well and ready to read. I never knew it was there and if it was then I obviously missed it until now.

Capt'n Jack

So this morning when I woke the kiddos to get ready to go to day camp, we did our usual routine and congregated in Max's room so everyone could get sunscreen applied (remember, it's the Blue Lizard kind). Well, my daughter plops herself in front of me a little far away and I ask her to move closer. She says, "All righty Capt'n Jack." Then proceeds to move toward me.

She then turns to Max and says something that I did not understand. I said, "Excuse me?" to which she replied, "It's a secret language, only Max and I know it." Then he begins calling me Capt'n Jack, too. I'm thinking I don't think I look like Capt'n Jack, at least the last time I checked. So, this goes on for a while and as we are walking out the door, my daughter grabs my necklace, that looks like the one pictured here and says, if you put this over one eye you look like a pirate.

Mystery solved! But I still don't understand the "secret language."

Spongebob ReWritten

If you have children you probably know about Spongebob Squarepants, if you don't we'll...in my opinion you are not missing much, but our children and my husband enjoy the cartoon. Here's what he looks like


He's the yellow character and the others are his friends.


So, my six-year-old daughter wrote a Spongebob episode for her brother, Max, here's the story as written for her brother:

I like Spongebob. He has a funny brain.

Sandy has chubby cheeks. She is a squirrel.

Squidward is a squid and he likes to play the clarinet.

Patrick is a starfish and he is funny!

Mr. Krabs LOVES money.

I like Spongebob the best.

Spongebob lives in a pineapple. Patrick lives in a rock.

Sandy lives in a tree. Squidward lives in a funny house, it looks like a squid.

Mr. Krabs lives in an anchor-shaped house.

One day Spongebob had to take Sandy to the doctor’s because her tail wasn’t furry. Squidward had to go to because he fell off a cliff. That was funny! After Sandy was done seeing the doctor she went to go get a corndog because the doctor said it would help her tail grow back its hair. And it worked. She was happy and it was funny that a corndog would help a tail grow its fur back. Then when Sandy and Spongebob got back home Spongebob had to take Patrick to a birthday party which was Spongebob’s. Sandy was laughing so much she had to go to the birthday party. At Spongbob’s party they had a jumpy house. Sandy jumped off a cliff, accidentally and the whole jumpy house went with her. So the jumpy house and Sandy had to go to the doctor.

The next day Sandy, Squidward, Spongebob went to the bowling alley. Squidward had a turquoise ball. Spongebob had a yellow ball with green dots. Sandy had a pink ball. They all had nachos. Squidward said they were too cheesy and I mean way too cheesy! Spongedbob LOVED them and last but not least Sandy said they tasted like a squirrel. They each had three times with their ball. Guess what? Sandy won, of course. And Patrick was a bowling pin and he got ran over and said “ouch!” Guess who ran him over? Sandy did. So guess what? Sandy had to take Patrick to the doctor and he broke his leg!

Max could not wait for bedtime because she promised she would read him her story. What best friends they are! Well...usually.

Pokemon

So, the good thing about having twins is that they are both into the same things at the same time. The bad thing about having twins is that they are both into the same thing at the same time. Right now that thing seems to be Pokemon (which has been ruined for me since I read a funny definition a while ago, did you see it? In a contest, the winning definitions was Rastafarian proctologist).

Anyway, yesterday they were trading Pokemon cards, of course my son wants all the powerful ones and my daughter wants all the cute ones. That works our really well for them until one of the cute ones is also one of the powerful ones. Oh dear!

Sunscreen Causes Rashes, At Least At Our Home

So, my daughter had a rash last week which we, as the doting parents that we are, slathered in vitamin E gel and sent her on her way. Well...this week it came back again! So, my husband and I start picking our brains about what could be causing the rash. In the meantime, I receive an email containing information that most sunscreens contain ingredients that can cause reactions or even be harmful to children and I wondered if it could be the popular randed sunscreen we were using on the kids, after all, it says it's for Kids.

So, my daughter stayed home yesterday with my husband who took her to the doctor and my son, Max, went on to summer day camp. The doctor said that the rash was an allergic reaction to something and that it had to be something that was touching her skin, not something that she ate. He also said that it did not appear to be heat rash because heat rash generally forms in a V-shape down onto the chest and/or back (I learned something new). So, the doctor said it was probably sunscreen or chlorine from the pool, most likely sunscreen. He said we should start using Blue Lizard brand sunscreen because it is much more friendly than most other sunscreen brands.

After chatting with my husband last night we decided to dump the sunscreen that we were using and use the new sunscreen on both our children. So, this morning when they awoke, I told them they were both switching to the new sunscreen. Here, I thought Max would be thrilled to wear Lizard sunscreen but, no, he wanted to use his spray on kind, blah, blah, blah. Then, he said, "Mommy, I'm really itchy!" You guessed it, he too had the same rash.

Well, my daughter proceeds to explain that the sunscreen is "really cool" because it is white inside and turns blue when you stand in the sun (not sure if this is true or not but I just listened and nodded my head). And she proceeded to convince Max of all the coolness this new sunscreen brings with it (she really likes anything new, does not really matter what it is she has the innate knack to point out the things she *knows* are good about it). So, he acquiesced. And, here's the nut, I take them to day camp and explain the rash and the need for the special sunscreen and one of the counselors says, "Oh, now I can call the twins 'Itchy One' and 'Itchy Two'!" To which my daughter replies, "You can only call us that because we are twins." And, you thought those names only appeared in Dr. Seuss books.

So Close

I have to say that I do not believe there is any relationship stronger than a twin or multiple birth relationship. My six-year old twins, a boy and a girl, are so close I often say they are like an old married couple, except they are much closer than that. They really rely on each other for everything. Although my daughter has a much stronger personality and my son is so laid back (or wait...maybe that is just being a male?), they get along swimmingly. Yes, they have disagreements and they do things to try to get their father and I to take sides and love one better, but they get over it.

Anyway, last week my son, Max, went to a friend's house to play all day. My daughter was so "bored" all day long without her little built-in play mate. That evening she could not wait for my husband to arrive home because he was supposed to pick up Max on the way home. Well, when my husband retrieved our son, he chatted with the friend's parents for a bit before returning home. When, my husband walked in the door, my daughter let him have it with all her vocal cords. After letting it all out, she got over it and she and Max ran along to play together. The next morning when I went in to say good-bye before I left for work, my daughter was in Max's bed. So cute!

When I arrived home that evening I asked why she got into Max's bed the previous night, to which she replied, "I missed him."

There is nothing closer than a relationship among multiples.

All the Poop

So, last Friday my six-year-old daughter and her twin brother start arguing in their bathroom while they are supposed to be getting ready for the last day of school. I stick my head around the corner at the end of the hall only to see my daughter marching toward my room with my son following her and saying, "Please don't tell. I really didn't do it." My daughter stops in front of me while my son runs right by her, jumps on my bed, and buries his head under the covers.



Well, as soon as my daughter stops in a matter of fact way she says, "So, Mommy, the other night me and Max picked up poop out of your toilet." Of course, I am somewhere between horrified and laughing my butt off, as Max yells from our bed, "No, I didn't. I didn't do it!" I ask what they were thinking in as calm a fashion as I could muster. So, my daughter, who surely is going to have a career that involves serious negotiating skills, starts to explain that they picked up the poop and put it in the garbage can, took the garbage can to their bathroom and moved the poop to their toilet.



Being the brave MoM that I am, I ask, "Well, whose poop was it?" "Mine" my daughter responds, then launches into this story about Max going poop on their potty and she really had to go, so she used our potty, but she knew she wasn't supposed to use our potty and she did not want us to know because she thought she would get in trouble so she and her brother schemed the removal of the evidence. My next question, "Did you use your hands?" The response, "Nope, we used toilet paper!" All the while Max has his head buried in the sheets of our bed.



Finally, I asked, "Where was Daddy?" I knew if it was a week night (which it was) I was not home. She responds, "He was here, right here. He asked me if I had poop in my hand and I said no. But Max picked up the big piece, I only picked up the small one." Max is practically in muffled hysterics at this time with only his feet barely visible outside of the sheets. Then she says, "But Daddy doesn't know, so don't tell him please."



Of course, thinking to myself, how could he not know? My children thought I would be furious with them, they were clearly both scared to tell me. However I just explained to them that I hope they washed their hands well and it would be inappropriate for them to do that again. That is a good way to get sick, etc. And next time, for goodness sake, "Just Flush!"