Wednesday, November 30, 2011

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - 11/30/11

One of my oldest and dearest friends and one of the toughest women I know.  2 surgeries, radiation and another radiation treatment in the future and nothing has stopped her from being the great mom, wife, daughter and friend she's always been.  She's amazing!
Go to hell Cancer- She is coming at you with a fight like no other!!!!



Amazon book library -Twins and Multiples: Guides and Informational Resources

Well this sure isn't the "library" my mother had access to when she had my sister and 
me forty years ago. She did not even know she was having twins until they held us up 
to her in the O.R., let alone knowing of any reading guides and resources that could 
help her and our dad through the process of caring for us and raising us.  And there 
weren't many available back in the "old days" :):):)
We are beyond lucky in this day-and-age to have so many resources and help-books 
to get through the different stages of parenting multiples. 
We hope one of these reads will be of help to you and your family if you have, or are 
having twins or multiples or maybe one of these books will be a great gift for someone 
you know who is having more than one little babe at a time.
Also, let us know of any other resources that you used, just could not have lived without 
and would love to suggested to others.
AND HAPPY READING!
_______________________________________________________________________


5.
Product Details
  Understanding Multiples by Editors of Twins Magazine (Jun 1993)






















10.
Product Details
  by Lynn Lorenz and Shelley Dieterichs (Jul 1, 2007)






11.
Product Details
by Karen Kerkhoff Gromada and Mary C. Hurlburt (Feb 1, 2001)





Monday, November 28, 2011

Just a few of some of the Fantastic Christmas Items for Twins and Multiples for this Holiday Season from ETSY.com...

...And more to follow in the coming days :):):):)











Sunday, November 27, 2011

Can I have some Pork Chooooops with that Apple Sauuuuuce? (said like Peter Brady)

So we lucked out recently and got sent some Mott's Apple Sauce and Juices for trying out.  They are the same great-for-you Mott's treats that our family has always loved but these newer-to-the market Mott's Medley Apple Sauces have delicious new flavors that my kids loved like Peaches and Apples and Cherry-Berries and Apples.  Plus the squeeze pouch packaging on the to-go medleys were way convenient for school lunches since there is no mess with the twist-able on and off cap.  And this sure is nice for me when I have to open up those lunch boxes at the end of the day.  No mess = happy mama 'cause man oh man can that be nasty if the food packaging is not kid-friendly.
I love too that these apple sauces and drinks are full of much needed fruit and vegetable, daily servings for the kids.  Especially since my 3 year old is a non-veggie eater...gotta sneak 'um in some how. And the rockin' good taste certainly helps get the good-for-you stuff down the "old-hatch". 


So Thanks Mott's for sharing your delicious new treats with me and the kiddies...  And these videos sure speak for themselves. (Oh and excuse the Whale Puke discussion mid-eating...my 11 year old is obsessed with the topic and checks that all packaged food does NOT have Whale Puke in it...Ahhh the tween years.)





Friday, November 25, 2011

Video

Mia Singing about one of her favorite story characters and pullin' a little Marilyn Monroe on us.

Monday, November 21, 2011

When twins become moms and life gets in the way...

Okay - I have been in a funk lately.  Just not feeling myself.  Low energy, feeling kind of down, not a happy camper.  I can attribute it to a lot of things...

 
  • Eating like crap
  • Not exercising enough
  • Not drinking enough water
  • Dealing with kids/ life/ work...stress
  • Worrying about the up and coming holidays and all that comes with them
  • Getting bad news from a friend re. her cancer battle and getting bad news from another friend who recently lost his mother very tragically
  • Worrying about middle school for my oldest daughter and trying to fit in open-house events and school visits in order to decide where to send her next year
  • Etc...
But one thing struck me this morning while driving into work that made me think I had another reason why I was feeling a little "Off"...I have barely been able to talk to my twin lately at all.  We are both crazy busy and our lives are consumed by kid stuff and house stuff and husband stuff and trying to also meet our own needs .  We have not been able to work all that "stuff" around a time to chat for a good-while on the phone.  We have Skyped a few times so that the kids could chat and see each other but we have not had one-on-one talking time in months.  And I am just coming to realize how terribly long it has been.  Plus the time difference between here and Europe just sucks royally and complicates the calling/chatting process even more.  For example, when I do have a moment to talk, it may be too late to call there or she may be out with her kids at activities 'cause it is the middle of the day for her while it is early morning for me.  Or sometimes when we do catch each other on the phone, I am all peppy and ready to chat 'cause it is the middle of my day while she is tired from her day's busy goings-on and just doesn't want to or doesn't have the energy to have a good chat with me.  The whole thing is just a total bummer and pain in the Tookus Marookus.

So I am starting to think that some of my funk and not feeling myself-ness is because I miss my Sissy.  She helps me feel the most like "me" that I can feel.  I am totally at ease with her and I laugh so much with her (and fight so much with her which sometimes leads to laughter too on the back-end).  Our husbands are great guys and we love them dearly and know how lucky we are that they put up with us but I almost feel like there is a chemical-like chemistry between my sister and I that I don't get from anyone else...Like a feel-good pill that makes everything a little better, a little happier and a little easier to deal with.  

I miss her...A Lot. And the time that we used to connect (which was daily) just isn't available to us as easily anymore.  We juggled the life chaos while still staying in touch before she moved to Germany, but now it is really hard to find the time to catch up.  
I have got to chat with her and try to set up a weekly time that we talk to each other and JUST each other.  The hubby's need to watch the kids and let us just talk, catch up, laugh and reconnect.  I think I really need this and I know if I need it, she probably does too.
So since my twinnie obviously reads this each day ...I say to you my Sister, lets pick a time to "be together" as best we can each week...prioritize us for a change and help each other feel like ourselves again. :):):):)

Love and Missing my twin sister today!
~Cathy