Halloween Ideas for Twins and Triplets

Need inspiration and ideas for costumes for your twins or triplets (and maybe even you)? See what some of your fellow Twiniversity Families have done:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also check out this post for a list of more great ideas for your multiples! Costume Themes to make your Multiples Gleam this Halloween!

Friday Funny: Wake Up Jammin’!

This 2 year old wakes up jammin’ to some tunes! So funny!!

Do you have a funny video of your multiples you would like to be featured on our website? Send the YouTube link to community@Twiniversity.com Can’t wait to see them!!

New Life for Unneeded Baby Items

What is Upcycling? Upcycling is taking an item that is no longer needed or wanted and giving it new life as something that is either useful or creative. Today we will explore creative uses for upcycling baby items that are no longer needed for their original purpose or have been grown out of (given the assumption that you won’t need the items again for another baby or two or three).

photo courtesy of Curbly.com

Furniture:

• Changing Table into mini bar awesomeness! Who would have thought you could convert a changing table into a mini bar and it would look so awesome! I think this is the best use for an old changing table. The full tutorial is available in one of Curbly’s eBooks – Make It! Secondhand Chic for $9.99.

Blankets: These can have cute prints to be reused in many ways! Sew cotton swaddle blanket to make pillow cases for travel pillows, or other sewing projects. Jill M. sewed hers to “make chair harnesses for learning to sit at the table.” Others have made quilts for their children’s new big kid beds. Or simply use as rags to continue to clean up all the messes your kids continue to make.

Bedding: Did you buy a crib set then decide not to use the bumper for various reasons or the child has outgrown the bumper? What can you do with it? Here are a couple great ideas.

Designed To Nourish Giveaway

Jennifer S's hungry twinnies.

Have you heard about the website Designed To Nourish? Dr. Brown’s has introduced an extension of their outstanding products so they can help your family grow. No longer are they just “baby bottle people” now they are creating ways to help our children grow right along with their products.

Did you know Dr. B’s now has all the tools you need to make your own babyfood. Homemade baby food can save you an estimated $1200 a year for twins! (Yeah, I was shocked by the # too.)

The Designed To Nourish site will help guide you through the introduction of solids for your twinnies with tips like :

• Gauge food sensitivities and allergies by introducing one food at a time to your infant, spacing them out two to three days apart.
• Always reheat frozen foods until they are very hot, and then allow them to cool to a temperature that is appropriate for your baby.
• Telltale signs that your infant has finished eating include swatting at her spoon, turning her head away from the spoon, and pursing her lips tightly as the spoon draws near.
• Self-feeding encourages the development of baby’s fine motor skills, so be patient and let your little one give it a try. It will be slow-going at first, but it will provide your child with a great sense of independence and accomplishment. Just be there for baby when the line from fun to frustration is crossed.
• Using appropriately sized dishes and utensils will allow toddlers to become familiar with their new eating skills and helps to develop healthful eating habits.
• Practicing drinking with a training cup will help improve feeding skills. To introduce the training cup to your child, let her get used to it just by holding it and playing with it. Show her how to drink with it, but don’t worry if she doesn’t catch on right away. Infants typically hit this milestone between 6 and 10 months.
• Don’t give up on the green beans! It may take 5 to 10 offerings before acceptance. Also, growth spurts, painful teething and illnesses all can contribute to picky eating habits.

The site has an amazing Feeding Stages chart if you are confused when to introduce solids and what types are best.

Not only will it tell you what foods are best, but you can find some amazing recipes online as well:

Healthy Pea Soup

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup

Oven Baked Broccoli and Potato Pancakes

Creamy Chicken and Asparagus

and more. (I could go for that Creamy Chicken and Asparagus right now.)

To get you started on your way of making your own baby food, Dr. B’s has given us some goodies for you guys.

YUM!

This week Twiniversity is giving away two Designed To Nourish feeding sets which include:

1 pack of Long Spatula Spoons

1 Pack of Bowls

1 Snack a pillar

1 Puree and Simple Blender

3 Food Storage Pods & Stackable Freezer Tray

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Freezer cooking 101- is your freezer family friendly?

Written By: Christy Eichelberger & Kristi Gonzalez

Are you too busy to think straight when it comes to dinner prep each night? I know for myself and many of my friends the hours from 4-6 PM are anything but peaceful when you have children in the home – yet it is this exact time each day when millions of moms across the country are expected to put a healthy and tasty home-cooked meal together for their family. This often follows a day which has gone something like this:

You’re a stay-at-home Mom of several children of varying ages. You’ve had a full day cleaning up messes, doing laundry, fixing broken items along the way, and of course the phone won’t stop ringing with marketing calls, while two kids are fighting. One child is a bit too quiet, which likely spells trouble! Suddenly the clock strikes 4:00 PM and you know the drill. You realize you haven’t even showered yet today and in an hour and a half your husband will be walking in the door and you have to find something creative to do with a frozen pound or two of chicken or ground beef!

Big Brother/Sister-to-be

By: Toby Amir Fox

Whenever I meet a second-time mom, especially one who is expecting twins, I am often asked what I did to prepare my only child for the arrival of his twin sisters. My answer: keep it as normal and “real” as possible.

Noah was almost four when his sisters were born.When we explained to 3 year old Noah that he was going to become a big brother to twins it was very anticlimactic. He thought about it for a few seconds then asked if he could go watch cartoons. As the weeks and months unfolded we tried to prepare him for the invasion of two little sisters by talking about the babies and reading a few “I’m the Big Brother“ books. He asked questions and helped pick out a gift to give his sisters in the hospital, but I really don’t know how much he actually understood.  At 34 weeks I made a big deal about bringing him with me for an ultrasound, I thought maybe he would get excited. As I lay on the table with my massive stomach and stretch marks exposed in all their glory, my son took one look at the screen and began to interrogate my OBGYN about his favorite foods and religious beliefs. I was embarrassed. Noah was clearly indifferent.

Super M.O.M. or the month- September 2012- Jennifer Burgess

Nomination: “I met Jennifer Burgess though Twiniversity when she was pregnant with her twins a year and a half ago. She was looking for other twin mom’s to connect with so she sent me a friend request on facebook. I remembered how I felt when I was pregnant about wanting to connect with other twin moms so I accepted, and I am so glad I did! As I got to know her I found out she was a fitness coach and a personal trainer. I was currently trying to loose my baby weight so she ended up giving ME support to work towards my fitness goals. I will always be grateful for that! Her zeal for fitness is contagious! I admire her positive spirit in general! She is always upbeat; even in the face of the emotional, heart wrenching trials that she’s gone though since I have met her. I love that I have been able to meet such a great person, even though we are over 800 miles apart. She reached out to me and I feel I have gotten the better end of the bargain since she lends so much positivity, and not to mention a great sense of humor.”

We asked Jennifer a few questions so you could get to know her better:

• How do you balance your time?

“I am a very scheduled person, naturally, which now comes in handy with having twins.  I’m up at 5:00am for my workout and to get ready before the boys get up.  I work full-time at a University while they are in daycare, and I also have a part-time fitness coaching job.  We do the nighttime ritual and try to get tucked in by 8:00pm.  I’m in bed by 10:00pm sharp… and it starts all over again!  My boss has been very accommodating, so my new work schedule involves working longer hours Monday-Thursday so that I can have every-other Friday off work to run errands, plan appointments, etc.”

Twinnies of the Month- September 2012- Ella & Ethan

This months Twinnies of the month 21 month old Ella & Ethan! Their mother Roxanna help us get to know these cutie pies!

• What makes your twin unique?

They have their unique personalities. Ella is independent and enjoys playing on her own. Ethan is attached to his daddy and me. He is more affectionate and loves hugs and kisses.

• What milestone have they recently accomplished?

Saving Money in NYC just got easier! #BurlingtonFlagship

Today is the GRAND OPENING of a the flagship store for Burlington Coat Factory and Baby Depot right here in NYC.

BTW: Did you know that BCF has a twins discount? Read more below.

As many of you can imagine, finding a bargin in New York City can be a sport all by itself, and now with a store like Burlington located RIGHT in the heart of our city, the challange is gone in a very welcome way.

The new store is located right in the heart of Union Square. This area is quickly becoming the new shopping core of our fine island. I can now buy clothing, groceries, drug store sundries (Walgreens and Duane Reade), farmers market goods, office supplies (Staples), go bowling, eat in one of what feels like a million restaurants and even hit a Party City in one central spot.

Having never visited a BCF I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was blown away. The selection knocked my socks off. Good thing I could buy socks there too! : )

I was overwhelmed with the variety of shoes, women’s wear (petite through 3x), luggage, housewares, jewelry, perfume, lingerie (ohh la la), men’s wear (big and tall too!), coats for the WHOLE family, pet supplies, and that’s not even having hit the Baby Depot part yet!

Bit Much? NEVER!

The shoes….ohhh the shoes! I must have tried on at least a dozen pairs of shoes. I had NO idea that BCF carried such amazing name brands like Betsy Johnson! I wish you could see the heel on the shoes in the picture better. They were outstanding! However, with my 5’10 tall body, I was a jolly giant in them. I LOVE these shoes!!!!

Friday Funny: How long does it take for twins to take a nap?

A Twiniversity Member posted this on our Facebook wall this week! It was to cute not to share!

Nap Time? These twins don’t think so!

You can send your videos to be featured on our website to Community@Twiniversity.com – YouTube links are preferred but not required. Have a great weekend!