What’s in a name?

The other day my little dude got in trouble at school for the first time. For the record, my twins are in first grade and in seperate classes.

My baby B got in trouble because he insists on writing his name “John and Anna,” (his first name and his twins first name), instead of just his full name, on all of his schoolwork. The teacher thinks it’s sweet, but nonetheless, he has to write JUST his name and ONLY his name.

Restless Toddler Twinnies: Take Action!!!

Living in Florida during the peak of the sweltering hot months, is like living up North during the winter. The only way to stay comfortable is to stay inside. After awhile, however, just like adults, our toddler twinnies can get restless too.

Now that the seasons are changing and Fall is here; it’s the perfect time to step outside and enjoy the fresh air!

Whether you take your twinnies outside in the yard; to the park; or out for a stroll; it’s not about where you go, but what you do to keep your twinnies busy and happy, throughout the day.

Happy ITwinsDay! Topic: Car Seat Struggles!

For our first week in our new iTwinsday home, (our new site); we have a great topic and an even better prize.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with our process, each week we partner with various companies around the globe, to bring you some great items or services that would be great for any parent of multiples. Sometimes it’s for moms; other times for kids; sometimes for dads. But no matter what it is, it always accompanies a hot topic!

This week we’ve partnered with a twin mama favorite here in New York City. Nomie Baby. As the saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” so when Mompreneur Katie Danziger, (who is a twin herself), had to struggle to clean her daughters car seat after a spilled formula incident; she thought of how the process could be made better.  After years of research and planning, she came up with the Nomie Baby car seat cover. Since then, she has branched out to stroller blankets, carry beaners and stroller mittens. Katie shows no sign of slowing down. We look forward to seeing what else she adds to the Nomie Baby line of goodies.

Arrrgggg. Celebrate “Talk Like A Pirate Day”

Yo Ho Ho! Make your twins walk the plank or eat some gruel September 19 during “Talk Like A Pirate Day.”

Fly your Jolly Roger high (that sounds a little dirty) and let your twinnies pillage for that lost sock under their bed. Reward them with some shiny gold doubloons.

LandLubber’s, here is everything you need to do to make yer day a complete success!

Childproofing Built for Two (or more)

“Little Monsters.” Before I became a new parent of twinnies, I’d never heard the term used in such an endearing way. Nor did I truly understand what the big deal was about childproofing for multiple toddlers.  Since I’d already been through childproofing with my older singleton, I thought, ‘Well, how hard could it REALLY be?!”

Until early one morning, it happened.

First, came the rustling sound; then the girls soft chitter-chatter and giggles; followed by a loud SNAP, thunk, and the slow sweak of their bedroom door opening. Lying in the room next to theirs, the hair stood up on the back of my neck. Knowing that just the night before, I had installed a child-safety lock onto their door knob; I couldn’t believe my ears! And then I heard more…the pitter-patter of little feet, entering my room. Standing there, at the edge of the bed, with her curly hair tousled about and big blue eyes staring at me, (like the mythical character, Medusa);  there she was, our Twin B, Junie, “Mommmy…Juice?”

Expecting Twins?

I'm sure your belly looks just like this. Right?

“Shock and Awe”, it’s not just a military mission; it’s also the initial reaction of a twin mom, and the folks she tells that she has two buns in the oven.

There are a few things that can ease the transition from being a gal about town to a mommy on duty. For starters there are some basics that we should cover.

-Does it feel like you are constantly going to the doctor? Well actually you are. Mothers of multiples visit their doctor 30% more than a singleton mom. A great side effect of so many visits, is that you get to see your babies a lot more! So make the best of it. Ask your doctor if you can bring a VHS tape or a DVD to record your sonograms. It will be a great thing to show the twins when his/her first date arrives to pick em up.

Twiniversity Tip: School Photos

When my twins were little, I would often take them to get their portraits taken about once every other month. We’d go to Sears, JCPenney or even Olan Mills. Occasionally, I would splurge on private shoots from Compass Photos, (run by Twin Mama, Lara Magzan), or Jane Goodrich Photography, (who is a twin herself), if I wanted to get in on the action too for a family shot.

I was great about making sure I had up to date photos for our family for the first two years. After that, getting out of the house with toddlers became exceedingly more difficult. I was thrilled when preschool started since my twinnies school took class and individual photos.

Talking to your kids about September 11th

This is a post I’ve been dreading to write, but I think it should be done. As a native New Yorker, and a mom, this is a moment in time I’ve had to discuss with my children, much earlier than expected.

(Keep in mind, I am not a therapist; a social worker; or a medical professional; I’m just a mom who witnessed the whole tragic event live, as it happened. This is what I did and my story may help you explain it to your kids.)

Two years ago, when my kids were four-years-old, we sat down and told them about 9/11. True, you may say this might be a bit young, and I would normally agree with you. However, since we live in lower Manhattan, about a mile from Ground Zero, there is no getting around explaining all that was happening around us (memorials; stores selling mini twin towers, etc).

Twiniversity Tip: School Forms!

Who couldn’t use an extra 10 minutes to relax? I sure can, so a few years back when I was filling out all the forms for my twinnies school I came up with this genius idea that I’m sure moms have been using for ages.

(Note: this is not only good for parents of multiples, but really anyone with multiple children in the same school/camp.)

Step 1: Fill out all the forms with any non child specific information (leave allergies blank, etc), include all your contact information, emergency pick up information and so on, but LEAVE THE SPACE BLANK where you would normally put your child’s name.

Step 2: Photocopy!

Happy iTwinsDay! Enter to win a Team Umizoomi Math Kit.

“Home is where your story begins.” The same goes for teaching our twinnies. From the very start, we teach our twinnies everything from walking and talking; making it only natural that we teach our twinnies the basic math and reading skills to better prepare them for the first day of preschool or kindergarten.

And though it may seem a ways off for some of us; there is much we can teach them on our own and right at home.

Whether you play a game or teach by the book; it’s not in the name but, what you teach your twinnies that counts! That’s why this week we’d like to help you out, with two Team Umizoomi Math Kits from Nickelodeon!

So enter today to lighten the load of your lesson plan. Take it from me, it’s as easy as one, two, three!

Leave your comment to the question below, for a chance to help those little minds grow!