Great Dates -things to do & ways to fall in love, right in your own backyard!

Written By: Cara Krenn

 

Once kids enter the picture (especially multiples!) it’s harder than ever to spend time alone with your partner. Your children are your priority; however it’s wonderfully restorative to indulge in some great dates with the one you love. The following are some fun ideas to help you rekindle your romance and escape for a while.

Inexpensive Stay-at-Home Fun

Don’t want to spend much or can’t leave your home? These dates are fun, frugal, and require no babysitter – just remember to put the kids to bed first.

• At-Home Movie Night: Get ready to snuggle during a movie night, right in your own house. Pick up a flick at RedBox or via Netflix, make popcorn, grab your favorite blanket, and enjoy an evening relaxing on your couch. Bonus points for trading massages!

Intuition:That Little Voice Telling You to Do Something

Written By: Tobi Stanton Stewart

Trust your instincts. The sagacious advice my father, who spent over thirty years in law enforcement, often gave. It was a warning and reminder that there is a little voice inside of us that lets us know when there is something wrong. My father had seen enough in his line of work to encourage his only daughter to trust this voice.

Intuition becomes less of a voice and more of a roar when one becomes a parent. My twins are our first born children and my husband and I had all of the anxieties that plague any first time parents. I remember the first time we had to use the aspirator to get “boogies” out of an infant. I almost wept.

When my daughters started walking, they fell. They fell all the time! My wonderful pediatrician assured me it was the era of bumps and bruises. My sweet mommy friends concurred that their children fell as well. The nagging voice, however, would not leave me alone. My children’s clumsiness was intense and I wanted to bubble wrap our house.

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!

Raising a Manny in Charge

Written By: Frankie Howley

Becoming a teenager is hard. Middle school. The competition. The need to fit in. Add to that the responsibility of being a big brother to twin sisters and you can imagine my surprise when my eldest son, swung open his bedroom door on a Wednesday evening and said, “Mom/Dad, when I move out to go to college, I could probably get a job as a nanny, since I help with the twins.” With a smile, I told him that he wouldn’t want to be called a nanny. “That’s ok,”he said. “I could be called a Manny!” (He was referencing a quirky and lovable pre-teen boy named Manny on the popular television show, Modern Family).

It was right then that I realized that there is no shame in asking for help. For months before the twins were born, I read that new parents of multiples must learn to accept a ‘helping’ hand whenever possible. I didn’t want to believe it, but then it happened to me. The twins arrived, and my family and friends gradually returned to work and their own lives. Guilt ridden, I turned to my son, Zachary. I knew it would be tough teaching Zack, (who was an only child for nine years), how to care for his new newborn sisters so we started out small. First, he helped me prepare their bottles, and then came the change of diapers and until eventually he was helping with almost all the routine tasks.

Sun Safety 101

Summer is in full swing and many of us will be spending these lazy days outside swimming, hiking, and soaking up the suns rays. The following are the top tips for protecting your skin this summer.

• According to Dr. Howard Murad you should, “Always look for a broad spectrum sunscreen that contains UVA and UVB protection. For each application, apply one ounce of sunscreen to the entire body and face daily, and reapply when out in the sun for long periods of time. If you plan on being in water, apply water resistant sunscreen every 40 minutes for optimal protection.”
• The ears, calves, back, and scalp are some of the highest risk areas where we forget to apply sunscreen. What many people don’t realize is that light reflects off surfaces, comes through building and car windows and penetrates through clothing. To protect the scalp, apply sunscreen just as you would everywhere else. For your hair, look for hair products that contain a broad spectrum SPF, like a leave-in spray conditioner. Hats and head scarves are also a stylish and smart way to shield your head, face and ears from the sun.

Heading Abroad With My Family of 5

Written by: Farah Ritter

My whole life I have always loved to travel. When I met my husband, I knew we were a perfect match once I learned of his mutual desire to trot the globe. We married, moved, and started our family. Since my husband works for a global company, we knew that someday we wanted to travel abroad and live overseas for a few years. We had our son and decided that after a second child we would go for it and try to move to Europe. Well, as happens with many families of ‘surprise’ multiples, we didn’t have one baby….we were blessed with two babies, which threw a huge new spin on our ‘plans’.

Our twins are pure joy and have made our family complete. However, two babies on top of already having one preschooler can make international travel more intimidating than it already is. The very idea of being outnumbered on a long flight- for instance- is just one of the precarious situations I am considering. There are two of us and there are three of them. Logistically I’m already at a disadvantage, add in their ages (the twins will be on the cusp of 2 years, and my oldest will be 3.5 years at the time of the move), and we have a recipe for a very, very interesting situation.

My pelvic Floor… ain’t what it used to be!

Written By: Randi Stone- Pilates instructor and mother of twins.

-You sneeze, you pee. You cough, you pee. Intercourse ain’t what it used to be. What gives? In short, your pelvic floor has been traumatized by pregnancy and/or childbirth.

The pelvic floor extends from your anus to your pubic bone and consists of a network of muscle fibers that are interconnected and woven together like a hammock. During pregnancy, your pelvic floor goes from carrying your uterus, which starts off smaller and lighter than a kiwi, to a uterus that is the size and weight of an oversized pumpkin. So, even if you didn’t have a vaginal birth, its been through a lot!

The Kegel, named after Dr. Kegel, is the name of a pelvic floor exercise to strengthen muscles that attach to the pelvic bone and act as a hammock for the organs (urethra, bladder, uterus and rectum) located in the pelvis. Pregnancy, age and hormonal changes all weaken the pelvic floor, and even if you Kegel like crazy, you probably do them wrong, not enough, incorrect positionally, and maybe don’t exercise your pelvic floor at all.

A Large Family’s Guide to Vacationing

By: Sommer Harkins- wife and full-time mother to five children.

-As a mother to five children, a simple trip to the grocery store requires strategicplanning and timing. Not too early, not too late…just in time to prevent a massive meltdown, but not long enough to interrupt normal routines and activities. Parents know the routine, all for a “simple” trip to the grocery store so one can only imagine the consideration given to something as momentous as vacation planning. Don’t fear…this mom of many has a few tips and tricks to help families small and large survive your next vacation!

A little planning goes a long way; especially when getting to your destination is half the battle! An exotic island vacation may seem like just the thing you need to feel rejuvenated and refreshed, but consider the siren screams of your little one, exhausted from hours of non-stop sitting in a confined space to get to your “fantasy island.” In our family, we typically choose to drive to our vacation destinations. This mode of vacationing seems to best suit our family once all things are considered such as ages of our children, their tolerance level, my endurance level, and distance of travel. When planning, I factor in the time it takes to get there and the number of stops it will take to keep everyone reasonably sane throughout the trip. Here’s where you can get a little creative:

Research fun places to stop on your way. Many localities advertise fun local attractions right off major interstates to attract tourists. Who’s in the mood for a quick snack of local produce at an area farmer’s market? Or a viewing of discarded thing-a-ma-jigs recreated into interesting art for all to enjoy? Maybe you’re just in time for an annual festival celebrating the area’s food, music and festivities.

Explore the great outdoors. Search out parks in the vicinity of your travel route, as this is a sure way to get kiddos nice and tired for the remainder of the trip. If you can’t find a park, use what you have! The grassy knolls of most rest areas offer a great place for children to burn off some steam. Be sure to pack an easily accessible bag of balls, bubbles, sidewalk chalk and jump ropes to use on these stops. You may even consider packing a small umbrella stroller for a brisk walk with your little one.

Feed the children-Not the animals. Be sure to pack plenty of drinks and snacks for your trip. However, consider the logistics of along trip vs. a normal car ride. Try to limit foods with large amounts of sugars and dyes, as these may lead to upset tummies on long car rides. Juice boxes and open containers may work ordinarily, but the use of sippy cups or water bottles may reduce spillage. The choice of savory snacks over sweet snacks may level out blood sugars to lessen the likelihood of food-induced meltdowns. Consider crackers and produce over cookies and gummies, water instead of juice. Don’t forget a change of clothes in the front of the car in case of emergency, as this will keep you from having to search through nicely packed bags all while holding a child covered in vomit. Get the visual!…

… the rest of the story (and more great articles) can be found in the Summer 2012 issue of Multiplicty Magazine on page 18. Make sure to subscribe for FREE here.

For more travel tips see these articles:

How to Travel With 3 Under 2

Cruising With Kids Is a Great Way to Vacation

Hotel Tips For Travelling with Twins

By: Sommer Harkins- Sommer is a wife and full-time mother to five children. As a mom to many, she knows first-hand the challenges of motherhood for women, whether working in or outside of the home. In her pursuit toward “joyful” motherhood, coupled with her desire to help other women, Sommer founded Mom Enthusiastically, where she assists mothers in the area of “home management” with the hope of inspiring moms to revitalize homes.

 

It’s LIVE! The Summer issue of Multiplicity is FINALLY here!

Please read, enjoy, digest and discuss another outstanding (if we do say so ourself) issue of Multiplicity Magazine. Click our cover to read.

Don’t forget to check out the great articles by some of the most amazing writers we love!

In this issue you will find articles on sleeping, moving your family, best apps for twins, wine (yes wine!), fashion finds for less (all our models are twin mama’s!), freezer cooking, travel and MUCH MUCH more!

Please enjoy this issue. We work hard for you guys, and we hope it shows. Thank you to all of our amazing advertisers in this issue, Dr. Browns, CBR, MAM, Traci Zeller Designs, Similac, Table for Two, Fire Wife Photography, Fetal Hope Foundation, and Jane Goodrich Photography. They are part of the reason why we can do this. Thank you.

-Natalie Diaz

Founder of Twiniversity and Publisher of Multiplicity Magazine