Word of the Week - 27th March 2015

This weeks word of the week has to be...

NURSERY

This week has seen the twins have their first taster sessions at nursery before their start after Easter. I will admit to feeling extremely nervous and anxious on Wednesday morning. I was anxious about what their reaction would be to being left, if they would be upset, if there would be separation issues.

I am delighted to say that there were no problems what so ever!

When we were waiting in the playground to go in Taylor was tugging and pulling on my arm. I immediately thought that he was pulling me because he didn't want to go in. But no, he was pulling me because he wanted to go in!

We waited with all of the school children and they all went in together. I walked them in, hung their coats and bag up and went in their room. I stayed with them until they were settled, which only took about 5 minutes. When I saw them happy and colouring I crept out and walked home.

I had a whole hour to myself. I have to admit the time flew, by the time I had walked the dogs and had a lovely hot cup of tea it was time to walk back up to school to collect them.

When I got there they were happily playing. Taylor was in the playground playing with the cars while Isabella was inside doing crafts. I was surprised to hear that they had both been playing independently and not together. This was reassuring as I don't want them to be too dependent on each other. The most difficult part of Wednesday was getting Taylor to leave the cars and playground to go home!

Thursdays session was a breeze! They were both keen to leave the house in the morning, in fact Taylor was telling us "come on!". When we got to school they went straight in without even saying goodbye!

It was lovely to see them both happy in the nursery environment. It makes it so much easier to leave them knowing that they are settled, happy and confident.

They are certainly looking forward to returning to nursery after Easter and I am looking forward to having a few hours a day for me. I am looking forward to seeing how the twins develop over the year. Something tells me that after Easter they will change and develop even more.

All ready to go to school!

On the walk to school and waiting to go in.

A fun walk home ending in balancing on the curb, don't worry

we live down a very quiet road!

I am sharing my Word of the Week with The Reading Residence - Word of the Week and Running in Lavender - My Captured Moment.

Thankfully its the Weekend!

Yesterday was just been one of those crazy sorts of days!
The morning started off well.
The twins were behaving and playing nicely and I managed to get on with some jobs.
But after their nap it went downhill!
They woke up in a bad mood and from then on their moods escalated from happy giggles to screaming for no apparent reason.
If they weren't playing nicely they were getting into mischief.
I lost count how many times I had to get Taylor out of the nooks and crannies that he sneaks into to reek havoc!
He has suddenly found that he can throw and he can really launch things.
Poor little Isabella has to keep out of his way when he starts.
Dvds get thrown, cds get thrown even his tractor is thrown. If he can pick it up he has a go at throwing it!
He has also learnt the lovely word which is "no!"
So now that is his response to each and every question!
He really is starting to feel his feet in life and has become the more dominant twin!
But now the weekend has arrived. I have hubby home so I have some help get a little break.
Yet again we have another busy weekend.
Today, after Joseph has been swimming, we are going to my mother in laws as my sister and brother in law are visiting so we are going to see them for a bit and exchange Christmas presents.
I still can't believe that it is December tomorrow!
To celebrate the beginning of advent we are going to decorate the house and visit a local garden centre's Christmas wonderland.
It is fantastic.
We try to go there every year as the lights and decorations are so pretty and this year we just know that the twins will love it as well as Joseph!
This year we are not going dare put up our usual Christmas tree. I don't think it would last 5 minutes up. I can see the twins having it over. So we are going to have a lot of ceiling decorations and tinsel high up where no little hands can get hold of it! I am also wanting to have a go at some Christmas creative play with them during the run up to Christmas. After our baking fun I think that they will enjoy having a go.
I am getting excited for Christmas already.
The twins are going to be so much more aware of their presents and what is going on around them.
This year will be the start of their Christmas magic which they will treasure for years!

Taming Toddlers

The title of this post really should be "Taming Toddlers - Well Trying To......"
The twins really are starting to see how far they can get, particularly little Isabella.
Isabella is such a bright little girl who can melt your heart one minute then drive you crackers the next!
We still have the barricade in front of the television table to stop the twins getting the tv. This did work well to start with until they discovered climbing.
This barricade has now become a climbing frame. I loose count how many time during the day we say
"Isabella, get down!"
"Taylor, get down!"
It feels like it is all we say!
The difference between the twins is that Taylor will only need to be told a couple of times. He soon gets fed up and moves on to some of his toys. Whereas Isabella sees it as a way to push the boundaries.
We will tell her to get down and she will look at us, smile and carry on climbing.
I really do not remember having this problem with Joseph. But this may be the difference between girls and boys, it may be because there was only one Joseph, or it may just be simply down to differences in personalities. Joseph had a time out step as a consequence and I found that this worked well. However, I am sure that he was older than 19 months! If we sat either of the twins on the bottom step they would be off! But we know that we need to put some form of consequence in place, otherwise they will never learn.
I read online today some parents opinions to the use of time out. Some, like me, found it worked, others were completely against it. Every parent is different and has different parenting techniques. What is important is that you do what works for you.
Now we are trying to put in place some consequences for the twins. We have been telling them to get down, if they don't get down we lift them down, if they go back and do it again we put them in their chairs. However they have found that they can actually crawl and walk with the chairs still strapped to their bums! To stop this we have been clipping the chairs to the settee legs. This worked for a bit but now they will sit and watch television it is no deterrent anymore.
So what now?
I think that we need to continue with the chairs as we can put the harness on as I do not feel that they are old enough to understand the concept of time out just yet. They would not sit and would not understand that they have to stay there. I am hoping that we will have more success if we move the chairs away from the main area where the television is and where their toys are.
In theory, this should be more of a deterrent. Whether it will work is yet to be seen! I know that it is up to us as parents to be consistent. I also know that being a good parent means teaching your children right from wrong.
One thing I do know is that I cannot stay annoyed with them for long. All they need to do is give me a little smile and my heart melts!

A Day of Ups and Downs

Today started so well!
We were woken up by hubby's alarm clock and not the twins!
Yes, you have read that right, the twins actually slept until 6:55am!
We all had a lie in and it was divine. Just having an extra hours sleep was pure bliss. Fingers crossed as the sunrise gets later we will have more lie ins to come.
This morning was the twins bath morning. Whoever baths the twins normally ends up just as wet as they are. This morning was no exception. They certainly lived up to their expectation. Now that they are bigger I am able to bath them together which not only saves me time but they thoroughly enjoy competing to see who can splash the most.
This morning I could literally wring out my top! Isabella, as normal, started the splashing off. The more she splashed the more Taylor giggled and the more he splashed. Which resulted in lots of giggles and a soaked mummy and Joseph. Not to mention a dripping door and a puddle on the floor. For me, bath time is also a time that we can spend quality time together with no interruptions from the television.
After bath time it was was time to visit our chickens or "bock bocks" as Isabella calls them after the noise they make. She is just adorable, as we walk down the garden she knows where we are going and says "bock bocks" all the way until we get there.
All in all, we had a lovely morning, but this afternoon's appointment was looming!
Today I had to return to the dreaded dentist. After my check up last week I was told I needed work doing and today was the day it was being done.
It is just sods law, the first check up after my maternity exemption expires and I need to pay, work needs to be done.
I am a complete wimp when it comes to dental work. Especially if I need to have an injection.
I felt physically sick while I sat waiting to be called. Then I heard my name. I made my way up the stairs to the room where I was going to face one of my fears. As I sat in the chair waiting for the dreaded anaesthetic injection I was close to tears I am surprised I managed to keep it together. But I did, I kept my tears in. Just!
When I left the dentist, with my mouth still numb, I went to find my mum and the kids in the park. I got questions from Joseph about what was wrong, what I'd had done, why my mouth looked funny and so on. I've got to admit I did enjoy being able to say
"This is what happens if you do not look after your teeth"
All of the stress from this afternoon left me with not just a sore mouth, but a banging headache, which does not go well with toddler twins.
Thankfully after a couple of pain killers, a relaxed bedtime with the twins and some tv time with hubby my head is getting better and the day is finishing well.

Parenting Forums

I have visited a few parenting forums in the past.
I have replied to a few questions that have been posted.
But I have never posted a question.
I have always either muddled through or have seen a similar sort of question asked by someone else. I am not very good at asking for help, I never have been. It not that I am too proud, its more that I don't like to bother people with my problems or admit I could do with a little help or advice.
At the moment I do not need help but a little bit of advice would be nice. Also a bit of understanding would also be good.
I have posted before about the twins climbing. It feels like we are constantly saying:
"no"
"get down"
"stop climbing"
But how do we stop this?
We have been telling them no and putting them onto the floor, but it is becoming a game for them. They giggle then go and do it again! Isabella is developing a defiant streak, we shouldn't be surprised, both me and hubby are stubborn, but as we are telling her no, she is staring straight at us with a look as if to say
"what are you going to do?"
I really cannot remember Joseph climbing as much as they do but of course there was only one Joseph. Now we have two climbing toddlers!
I feel as a mum of twins it is often hard to get advice. The majority of sites that I have been on do not cater for twins and multiples. Also the majority of health visitors do not have the knowledge to help with "multiple" problems.
So I am considering posting on a parenting forum.
It would be nice to hear how other "multiple" families have coped. New parents of multiples always ask "does it get easier?" in some ways yes it does but in other ways no it doesn't. It just changes and you have new challenges!
I have recently joined a new parent forum that has been set up by the people that brought`us the fantastic Gumigem (which I am a huge fan of) called Kiddieclinic  ( http://www.kiddieclinic.co.uk/ )
I feel quite different about this forum as it is new and it feels more personal. To my delight and surprise there is a section for "multiples" as well as forums specifically for different age groups all the way from anti-natal through to terrible teens, special needs and multiples. If the multiples section wasn't included this probably would have been a forum that I'd look at and then forget. For me, it has it all covered, I can look at forums that are relevant for Joseph's age and on the same site, read posts that may relate to the twins! It will be good to "chat" to other mums of twins who will no doubt understand how life is when you are running around after two curious toddlers but also be there to offer support to new mums of twins. Believe me it is a daunting experience and just speaking to someone who knows what it is like makes all the difference.
I know that it will get easier as the twins get older and have more of an understanding but I am not under the misconception that it will ever be stress free, with any children 1, 2, 3 or even 8 there is going to be stresses and worries. As they come, as parents, we learn to adapt and we cope. At the end of the day all of the changes are just our children developing and growing as people.

Disclaimer: Kiddieclinic have had no influence on my post and I have not received any payment for this post. This is just my honest opinion and thoughts.

Exhausting Day

The only way that I can describe how I felt at the end of yesterday is exhausted!
I spent the day catching up on house jobs. First thing in the morning i even got chance to potter around outside. I basked in the tranquillity of the our garden. Looking back, this was the calm before the storm!
The next lot of potatoes have been planted and I started to clear space for the broccoli, cauliflower and leeks. Even though summer isn't over we are thinking about what winter and spring vegetables we are going to have. I even managed to tackle the green house vegetables. The twins were getting tired tired so they sat really well, but their big brother was entertaining them! After snipping away at the abundance of excess leaves I found that we had a few tomatoes ripening and a huge cucumber that was hiding. Hubby was giving up on the peppers, however, after having a clear up I discovered some tiny peppers that are starting to grow.
Over the last few weeks, I hate to say, that I have neglected the beautiful sweet peas so that will be my garden job today.
After my relaxing start to the day I rapidly evolved into a manic mum, rushing to get jobs done before the twins sleep so that I wouldn't wake them. Then when they were asleep I was rushing to get as much ironing done as possible before they woke up. Rushing was my day! Once the twins woke we had to rush lunch so we could get Joseph to the tennis session he had booked.
The whole day was just manic.
I lost track of how many times I had to tell the twins to get down. Anything that they can climb onto, they are on. If it's not the settees, it's the chairs, if it's not the chairs, it's their toy table, if it's not their toy table it's the futon! They are all over the place! Gone are the days when I could calmly leave the room. After a couple of bad nights I was feeling well and truly frazzled!
Thankfully I was only up once with Taylor in the night but if I put him in bed with us, he snuggles up and goes back to sleep so I get more sleep too. I am feeling ready for the madness that the twins and Joseph bring to life. Whether I'll be feeling like this in an hour or so is a completely different matter so for now I'll just enjoy hearing my 3 beautiful children squeal and giggle as they play together!

Manic Couple of Days

What a couple of days we have had. I really do not know how I am still sane. The twins have changed into climbing explorers and escape artists and Joseph has just been full on.
If feel that I may have jinxed everything with my post that said it was getting easier! I have not had a moment to even blog! As soon as we've had some peace and quiet I've been shattered and ready for bed.
Taylor has discovered that not only can he crawl with his seat still strapped on but he can also walk with it on. The chairs were my safety net that has now been whipped away. Whenever I wanted to keep the twins in one place I would put them in their chairs. So these last two days have been exhausting days. I have been rushing around trying to get house jobs done before they can get into any mischief. Believe me this has been a huge challenge and a lot of jobs have just not been done. But on the other hand I have had even more time with the children. Our house is rarely spotless and the floors are always covered with toys but I like to think that we have got happy and contented children which is much more important.
After all of Thursday's stress from a bad night on Wednesday and feeling like we live in a mad house, hubby suggested asking my mum and dad to come down for a BBQ. This was to our first BBQ in our own house. This time, chilling in the garden, with the people closest to me and a glass of wine helped me no end. We had a lovely couple of hours talking, laughing and reminiscing. Apart from my hubby, my parents have a huge role in my life. We missed 7 years together when I lived abroad and from the moment that I moved back to England we have been close. Even more so when I moved back into the village. I really cannot imagine living anywhere else. I feel so lucky to have them just down the road.
Yesterday I made the trip to see my nanna and grandad. This is the first time that I have felt able to go on my own with the twins. I normally go with either my mum and dad or hubby, if he is not at work. Our twins have always been quite shy babies. If they are around people that they see regularly, they are ok, but if they haven't seen you in a while or they don't know who you are, they are hard work. They just want to be held and scream at the "new" faces. This may be my fault as we do not go far from home. When Joseph was younger I took him to different play groups purely because he was, at that time, an only child and I wanted him to socialize. I don't do this with the twins. I feel that they have each other to play with. We did go, a couple of times, to a local playgroup to get them weighed and as we were the only multiple family it felt like we were a circus show. The other mums, who just had the one baby, found it fascinating to sit and watch and stare at the mum with twins. It made me feel like people were judging and watching to see how I coped. For any new mum, whether you have multiples or singletons, this is hard. So I did shy away from the groups. But also, anyone who has multiples, will understand that going anywhere require meticulous planning and organisation and when you throw in the school pick ups it is hard! With two clingy, shy babies it would have caused more stress than enjoyment.
I felt that this visit the twins would be ok as we were all there, as a family, at the weekend. I knew that they would still be fresh in the twins memory. Thankfully I was not wrong. Taylor went walking straight in and even Isabella never made fuss. This was probably the first time that they have interacted and played with their great grandparents in this way and I could tell that they were over the moon with this. Since having the news about my grandad I have been thinking a lot. I am going to take the children over so much more than I did do. I have come to this decision, not just for the children and my grandparents, but for me too. I want to spend as much time with them both before times get really bad. It is hard to imagine how we will all cope when he does get poorly so that is why I want to see as many good days as I can.
I want to create memories for all of us to treasure. We certainly achieved that yesterday.