What’s Your Favorite March activity?

March 14, 2008

March is one of those strange months that are more about transitions than about a particular event or season.  But that doesn’t mean the month should fly by without a little adventure.  What is your favorite activity to do in March?

When the twins were born, we started a new March tradition – the Henrico County Kite Festival.  We’ve done it every year, but this year – it was extremely cold and rain last weekend when the festival took place. 

It seemed like the festival came early this year, probably because Easter is early this year.  But I digress.

The festival is a great family affair.  You go to this park in the county and everyone is out there with their kites.  You can see all the kites in the sky as you approach the park.  Kites of every shape and size soaring through the air.  It’s beautiful.

We always pack a lunch, meet some other friends and make a day out of it.  We might fly our kites for a bit, sit and watch the other kites for a while, have a snack or play some ball.  We always bring a few other activities for the kids.  And the Parks and Rec Department always has a few activities for the kids too.

Last year, for the first time, the kids really got into the kites.  They helped daddy put them together.  Sure the process would have quicker without their help, but it was cool that they took such an interest.

Then they wanted to hold the reel that releases the string.  They didn’t quite understand what they were doing and often crashed the kite with their efforts.  Still it was fun to enjoy a “family” event in the fresh air.

I felt a little like the family at the end of Mary Poppins (I promise not to strut around with a sash chanting about women’s right to vote).  They had finally found time for each other and were truly enjoying each other’s company. “Let’s go fly a kite . . .”

Since we missed the festival this year, I think we will have to take the kids out another day later this month or early in April.  April would be good since it’s National Kite Flying Month. 

I’ve never really been good at flying a kite.  But I’ve never had so much fun trying as with my kids helping.  When was the last time you flew a kite?

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Christmas in March

March 12, 2008

On Saturday, my children woke up and scurried downstairs to the living room like it was Christmas morning to find a pile of “new toys” much to their delight. What, you say.  It’s only March.

T-Rex MountainNo, the Easter bunny didn’t make an early stop at our house.  And no, I haven’t joined some weird religion that has moved Christmas to March.  But I am a member of a club (club, not cult) that made my children’s Saturday morning joy possible.

I am a member of a Moms of Multiples club, a club for parents who have had twins, triplets or more.  That fact alone did not bring Christmas to my house in March.  But the club’s bi-annual fundraiser did.

In an effort to raise funds for the club and put a little money back in the pockets of the members, the club started holding a Kid’s Stuff Only Yard Sale twice a year.

Members clean out their closets and attics, bringing out gently used kid’s clothes, toys, nursery items, books and videos to sell.  We each price our own items, but we put them out in like categories (i.e. all the girls clothes that are size 6 go together,  all the toys go together, all the books, etc.).

VanityThe club makes 15% of whatever we sell.  We take home the rest.  Sure it’s not a lot of money, but it’s enough to cover a few extras like a membership at the children’s museum or to cover the cost of the twins’ birthday party.  And when you have twins, every little bit helps.

But selling is only half the fun.  Members also get to pre-buy.  We set up everything on Friday night and the sale is Saturday morning from 8-11.  But after we setup, members get first crack at cruising through the isles to find deals.

I am able to find a lot of good deals on clothes this way – and trust me it’s important to get deals when you are buying for two at a time.  Most of the clothes are gently used, but some are brand new (kids outgrew them before they got a chance to wear them).

But for my kids, it’s what else I bring home that tickles their fancy.  By the time I get home Friday night, they are asleep.  But they know Saturday morning some new-to-them toys will be waiting for them.

Last fall I spent $3 and the twins thanked me for an hour.  I kid you not.  I know you are thinking what did she buy?  I bought a box a legos. 

But they were just so thrilled at having something new (at least to them) to play with that they would play with them for a few minutes then one of them would come by and thank me.  Then they’d go play again and then the other would come by to thank me again.  This routine went on for an hour – over a box of legos.

The yard sale lets us rotate toys so the kids don’t get bored with them.  They get to try out a lot more toys that if I had to buy them new.

This year when I was tagging things to sale the twins noticed for the first time I was taking some of their toys away.  I kept hearing “That’s mine Mommy.”  But I explained that they were too big for those toys any more. 

But any grumblings disappeared when they saw there bounty Saturday morning.  My son got T-Rex Mountain, the ImagiNext dinosaur set.  He has been roaring all week.  And my daughter is still primping in front of the Princess vanity she got.  I paid a fourth of what these items retail for and they are both in great condition.

And when the twins aren’t playing with these toys, they are toting around the Look and Find books I got them.  They love to “read” and the only way I can keep them in books (without going broke) is to buy them at the yard sale.  We even had to take the new books to dinner with us Saturday night.

VehicleAnd don’t tell the twins (luckily they are two young to read mommy’s articles), but I even picked them up a surprise for their third birthday – something their grandfather wanted to buy them but they were still too young for when he past away last year – a two-passenger motorized jeep.  We’ll be giving this gift to them in Grandpa’s memory.

So now you see Christmas doesn’t really come three times a year at our house.  We just celebrate one Christmas and two yard sales.

Photos courtesy of Toys R Us.

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Taboo TV/Movie Hijinks and Your Childhood

January 26, 2008

I just finished reading the Dennis Hensley’s commentary on MSNBC about how kids today, with the help of DVDs, video iPods and YouTube, can see anything and everything. 

In order for me not to have a coronary or hyperventilate at the thought of how I’m going to monitor my children’s viewing habits in this high-tech age, I instead am reminiscing about the hijinks I pulled as a kid to see what my parents deemed inappropriate.

I wasn’t allowed to watch “Facts of Life” as a girl, but I can remember turning it on when I knew I should be in bed.  When my parents finally realized it was past my bedtime, I would dutifully go off to bed.  When I thought it was safe, I would sneak down the hall and peek around the corner to watch it if they hadn’t changed the channel.

On the weekends my parents played cards with their friends, alternating houses.  When we were at someone else’s house and it was considered past my bedtime, I would be sent to lie down on the couch.  I can remember waiting until my parents were distracted to roll over to sneak peaks at whatever “forbidden” show was on the television.  I think I even watch a late night show in a mirror above the couch once.

R-rated movies were an absolute no no at my house.  I can remember going through school and not knowing what movies like The Last American Virgin and Porky’s were about when all my friends did.  But when I was a freshman in high school we moved next door to a family that had seven kids from 4 to 19.  There was always so much going on in that house, no one ever noticed which VHS movie you were watching.  So I went over there for movie night all the time.

What did you do as a kid to bypass your parents’ limitations of your television and movie viewing options?  What were your must see that were tabooed by your parents?

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A Garden Fest of Lights to Delight Children of All Ages

December 23, 2007

This year we started a new tradition with the twins – a visit to Lewis Ginter’s Garden Fest of Light.  It was so beautiful; I wanted to share some of the sights with you.

A Christmas Peacock

The peacock was my favorite.  If you would like to see more pictures of the lights at Lewis Ginter, click here.

Once a hunting ground for the Powhatan Indians, the property now known as Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens was bought in 1884 by Lewis Ginter, an entrepreneur and philanthropist.  He built the Lakeside Wheel Club as a haven for Richmond Cyclists.  When he died, his niece Grace Arents inherited the property and turned the Wheel Club into a convalescent home for children.  Upon her death, she willed the property to a friend with the stipulation that it be turned into a botanical gardens honoring an uncle.

A hundred years after Ginter’s original purchase, Arents dream was realized when

Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens was chartered in 1984.  Since then the gardens has grown leaps and bounds.

And each December it hosts, the Garden Fest of Lights – truly a delightful sight.  There are more than a half a million lights to delight.  But they are not just strings of lights; they are works of arts.  In beautiful sculptures, the lights build peacocks, flowers, fish, leaves, unicorns, frogs and more. 

The twins loved the Children’s Garden best.  Not only could they run through the maze of lights over and over again, but they also got to go into the treehouse where they could look at lights for as far as the eye could see. 

If you are ever in the Richmond, Virginia area in December, I encourage you to take the walking tour through the Garden Fest of Lights.

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A Toddler’s View of Christmas

December 22, 2007

 At 2 1/2 year old, my twins are really getting into Christmas for the first time this year.  They are taking it all in and they’ve already got certain ideas about this merry holiday.  Here’s a look at how toddlers (at least these two) view Christmas.

It’s all about the lights

The twins got their first glimpse of Christmas lights on the way home from their aunt on Thanksgiving.  They were instantly smitten.

So the following Tuesday, my husband and I took them to the GardenFest of Lights at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens.   With more than half a million lights sculpted into flowers, butterflies, fish (my son really liked the fish), candy canes and a giant peacock, the twins were enamored.  My son couldn’t get enough of the maze of lights and my daughter loved climbing up the tree house in the Children’s Garden where she could see lights in every direction.  But their favorite thing was the train that went through the little fairy village in the conservatory.  The photos on the Christmas card were taken in front of the gingerbread house in the conservatory.

I spent the entire next day while out running errands trying to explain to the twin why they couldn’t see the lights in the daytime.  By nightfall, I was exhausted.  I gave up and took the twins back to Lewis Ginter for a second round of GardenFest.

In the two weeks following Thanksgiving, my husband had to travel for work, finish a project for school and study for an exam and a final, leaving little time to hang Christmas lights.  But because the twins were so fascinated with the lights and I couldn’t drive around the neighborhood every night looking for lights in response to cries of “Mommy, I want to see lights,” I made a trip to the store and came home with three lighted Christmas yard signs – Mickey Mouse, Tigger and Snoopy on his doghouse – that I could set up easily.

Every day on the way out, the twins stop to check on these displays.  If one has fallen over, they demand that “Mommy fix it.”  And every evening when they come home, they must stop and look at each display regardless of how cold it is outside. 

Now that my husband has finally got the rest of the decorations up, we can hardly get the twins to go into the house.

Snowmen are cooler than Santa

The twins still aren’t to sure of the man in the red suit.  Therefore, I still doesn’t have a picture of them with the jolly ol’ elf. 

They know who Santa is.  They’ll both tell you he says “ho, ho, ho.”  But they won’t go anywhere near him. The closest they’ll get is to hold out their hands for candy.

I did get my daughter to sit on the little stool in front of the Santa at the mall.  Clinging to me for dear life, she cried out her wish list – “I want a Dora [the Explorer] book.”

Their Christmas icon of choice – Frosty, or rather any snowman.  They scream in delight every time they spot a snowman decoration.  They had no problem walking up to the snowman character at the arrival of Santa at Short Pump Mall and they love the Frosty cartoons.

They even made their own snowman.  It didn’t matter that we didn’t have snow.

Somehow though, I think it might be hard for Frosty to start shimmying down fireplaces.

Giving can be hard

When the Toys R Us catalog arrived, my daughter buried her nose in it first and then my son.  Next the toy commercials on TV doubled and then the cries from my daughter of “Mommy I want mine” and “Mommy, brother wants” (my daughter can always be counted on to take care of her brother) started ringing throughout the house.  My son limited his pleas to “p-l-e-e-e-a-s-e.”

When I could no longer hear myself think, I knew the twins needed to be taught that it’s better to give than to receive.  So I decided the twins should do a stocking in the Salvation Army Stocking Program.

Together we shopped for items to fill these stockings.  Then I packed the stockings and off we went to deliver them.

The twins both proudly carried their stocking into the drop off location.  But when it came time to put the stockings in the box, they had a little trouble.  After a bit of coaxing the stockings were firmly placed in the box and my little man cried all the way back to the car.  Life lessons are so hard.

It’ll be interesting to see how it goes when it’s time to distribute gifts on Christmas.

Mickey Mouse Still Rules

The twins have really enjoyed watching Christmas specials from the Rankin and Bass classics like Frosty and Rudolph to holiday episodes of their favorite shows. 

But they are their mother’s children; thus huge fans of Mickey Mouse.  Given a choice, their holiday favorites are Snowed in at the House of Mouse and Mickey’s Twice upon a Christmas.

However, the new Shrek the Halls came in a close second as my daughter is a big fan of the green ogre. 

The Grinch is the only one they really didn’t care for.  My daughter kept burying her head in her my shoulder and my son watched with his hand over his eyes, peeking through his fingers.

Christmas Carols are to be Sung Loudly

The twins think that Christmas carols are to be sung loudly wherever they are and can be accompanied by dancing.

The twins were shopping in Target one day with me when my son decides to belt out a chorus of Jingle Bells in the middle of the store.

The twins went to a Christmas Concert by the Community Choir with me and a friend of ours. 

The twins enjoyed themselves immensely.  However, I’m not sure that the lady in the row ahead of us appreciated my son’s rendition of the songs.  Or the amount of dancing both children were doing.

We were out on an adventure with a little friend of the twins and his mother.  Suddenly from the back seat a chorus of three different songs being sung at the top of each little ones lungs made its way to the front seat where the two adults could do nothing but laugh at the toddlers’ enthusiasm.

Christmas Cookie Dough is the Best

The twins are becoming quite the bakers.  They’ve already made seven batches of Christmas cookies, much to their daddy’s delight. 

However, their favorite part of the baking experience is still licking the spoon.

Bells are the Instrument of Choice

The twins went to a Christmas Puppet Show.  As part of the show, they got to be in the Christmas Band.  My son played the tambourine and my daughter the bells.

Still, the twins instrument of choice for the holiday is bells.  They have wrist bells that they took to Williamsburg to play during the caroling.  They have bell necklaces and there are even bells hanging from all the door handles in the house.

Christmas Train

The twins love their Thomas train set, but nothing compares to the motorized train around the Christmas Tree.  It must be turned on when they wake and can’t be turned off before bedtime.

My son will lay on his belly in front of the tree and watch the train for long periods at a time.

Christmas is about Making New Friends

During Christmas caroling in Williamsburg, my son tired to use his skills to impress a new friend.  He walked up to this boy of 10 or 12 and just started performing.  He sang, danced, played his bells and even did some rolls on the cold ground.  And a new friend was made.

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Christmas Cookies: Baking up Holiday Memories

December 17, 2007

Baking cookies at Christmas has been a holiday tradition in my house since I was tall enough to stand on a chair to reach the counter.  I have many memories of a delicious-smelling kitchen filled with laughter as I baked with different members of my family – my mother, my sister, my grandmother, my cousins – over the years.

BakingWe always baked the favorites – chocolate chip, snickerdoodles (a type of sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar), oatmeal raisin, sugar cookies and peanut butter.  But because I cherish making Christmas cookies, I’m always on the look out for new recipes to try and have been know to make up to 10 varieties a season.

Maybe baking Christmas cookies holds another special meaning for me.  It’s no secret that I’m domestically challenged.  I’ve never been very good at those things associated with maintaining a household – I’ve set fire in the kitchen when attempting to cook on more than one occasion, I’ve turn the laundry pink and shrunk sweaters, I’ve jammed the vacuum and bleached the carpet when trying to clean a stain.  But baking is different.  Baking I can do.  So Christmas is my time to shine.

For these two reasons, it’s been very important for me to pass on the tradition of baking Christmas cookies to my twins.  Their first Christmas, they weren’t even old enough to eat cookies (and honestly I was still struggling with the new duties of motherhood), but by the time their second Christmas rolled around I had a planned.

Last year, I bought them their own apron and hat and set them up on bar stools at the breakfast bar.  I bought the already cut, pre-made cookies – the kind that are little round circles of dough.  I put a cookie sheet in front of them and let them take the pieces of dough from the wrapper and put on the cookie sheet.

I personally would never think of making cookies that weren’t for scratch, but knew that we had to start somewhere small so the twins could participate.  I figured we’d grow a little each year until one day they are making cookies from scratch.

Well now the twins are 2 ½ and we are closer.  For Halloween, I bought the premade sheets of cookie dough and let them go to town with cookie cutters.  My daughter kept using the same piece of dough.  She’d cut it out, roll it back up, pat it out and cut it again.  My son actually had more fun flying his cookie cutters around than using them on the dough, but hey it’s a start.

And for Christmas this year, we’ve moved up to mixes.  They’ve made four batches of cookies already and we are going to try to knock three more out today.  But in all honesty, I think their favorite part of the experience is licking the spoons when we are done.

Sure, I’m not making as many cookies as I normally do, but at least I’ve got someone new to share the cooking-making fun with.  I’m looking forward to years of Christmas cookies baking with the twins and can’t wait until they are ready to try their own recipes.

This week I bake chocolate chip cookies for my husband and snickerdoodles for me.  Soon the twins will be baking these as well as their own favorites.

Speaking of favorite Christmas cookies, what are your favorites?

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Posted by vacelts

When Mommy Has a Sick Day

November 14, 2007

I’ve been under the weather for a couple days now.  Yesterday I spent most of the day in bed.  My husband, as always, sweetly took care of me, bringing me everything I needed — soup, water, even my computer to finish a couple deadline projects for work.  But unlike in the past, my husband had help caring for me this time.

My son would take time out his busy play schedule every couple of hours to pop into the bedroom just to tell me hi.  Ever the entertainer, he even serenaded me with his keyboard.  Not the best medicine for a severe headache, but the thought was sweet nonetheless.

My daughter was a little more concerned for my health.  First she brought me some toys, I guess in case I needed some entertainment while I was laid up.  Then she crawled up in the bed beside me.  She sat there and talked away to me for a little while.  Then she brushed the hair away from my forehead and looked at me asking, “Mommy alright?”  When I told her yes, Mommy was alright; she gave me a kiss and went on her way.

Well today I’m back up and on my feet.  Some might say its because of the meds I took and a full day of rest.  But I credit my quick turn around to my family for their tender loving care.  I couldn’t be luckier!

And yesterday was one of the best sick days I’ve every had.

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Posted by vacelts

Review: The Buzz on Jerry Seinfeld’s Bee Movie

November 1, 2007

Does Jerry Seinfeld’s Bee Movie live up to the buzz that he and NBC have been generating for what seems like months?  This Queen Bee decided to leave the hive and take my little bees to their first premiere to see just how sweet Bee Movie really was?

Barry and VanessaFresh out of college, Barry Benson (Seinfeld) has the whole world in front of him, or at least a single job making honey in his hive.  But unlike his best buddy Adam Flyman (Matthew Broderick), Barry is unwilling to settle for a life of honey production.  When Barry sets out on an adventure to discover the rest of the world, he meets Mooseblood (Chris Rock), a mosquito heading to Alaska, and ends up befriending a human.  Vanessa Bloome (Renee Zellweger), a New York florist, becomes an unlikely companion sharing her passion for nature with Barry.  Together the pair must rescue the world’s flowers.

The Bee Movie brings life in the hive alive.  Who knew a bee’s life could be so much like a human’s — cars, parents, school, jobs?  😉  The movie starts with Barry leaving the hive for the first time on what is literally a high flying adventuring.  The animation during the opening sequence is so great you get a bee’s-eye view soaring through the air with Barry and the Pollen Jocks (What can I say?  Every society has its class structure.)

My two-year-old twins were especially delighted during this first third of the movie.  I heard little cries of “weeeee” from my son as he stalled with a handful of popcorn midway to his mouth to watch Barry’s adventure in the big city.

My daughter was just as mesmerized as she peeked through her fingers covering her eyes exclaiming during on of Barry’s less majestic moments of flight “Mommy, he fall.  No Look.” (translated: Mommy, he’s going to fall.  I can’t look.)

Things slow down a bit during the middle of the movie as Barry sets his plan to change the world in motion.   This portion of the movie is filled with an array of star cameos and one-liners that resulted in laughs disproportionally from the adults (don’t worry; nothing inappropriate for the kids).

At this point the twins each moved to a parent’s lap and concentrated on their twizzlers.  Although not nearly as captivated as in the beginning of the movie, to my delight, my little ones were still buzzing with interest.  It takes a lot to keep a toddler’s interest for 90 minutes.

After Barry learns the consequences of his success at changing the world, the story gains momentum as Barry and Vanessa set out to save the day with a little help from his friends (the advantage of living in a hive — lots of friends). 

As a big fan of the Disney animation, I’m used to being hit over the head with the morale lesson.  But I’m not sure what the lesson was from this film.  My two guesses — be careful what you wish for or take care of the environment.

Either way, I did learn one new fact about bees that I didn’t know — they can’t fly in the rain.

Overall, a good tale, nicely done.  For me, Patrick Warburton, the only other Seinfeld alum (Putty) in the movie stole the show as the narcissistic Ken, Vanessa’s boyfriend who is edged out of her life by Barry.  And although his screen time is minimal, Chris Rock was hilarious as the blood-sucking Mooseblood.

I have to admit that I’m not a huge Jerry Seinfeld fan.  If I hadn’t been given free tickets, I probably would not have gone to see this movie and that would’ve been a shame.  I highly recommend the movie especially if you have little ones.  This movie will definitely be added to our collection when it comes out on DVD.

The twins’ verdict?  Two thumbs up.

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Top 10 Changes in My Life Since I became a Parent

May 5, 2007

This week my twins turn two.  I can’t believe how quickly the time has flown by.  It seems like just yesterday I was bringing them home from the hospital.  It’s been a wild ride.  Looking back, my life is very different that it was a few years ago.  Here are the Top 10 changes I seen in my life since becoming a parent.

10.  Red Lights
Red lights use to be these obstacles in my day that just slowed me down.  Whenever I was in a hurry (which was always), the traffic light would turn red.  Now I’m looking for red lights as opposed to avoiding them.  Why?  Red lights are an opportunity for me.  They are an opportunity to pick up whatever toys the twins have dropped.  It’s a chance to stop the fights between the twins in the back seat.  And did I mention the naps I take at red lights? 😉

9.  Car Contents
Speaking of my car, the contents of my car have really changed.  In the past my car has been know to house numerous work files that I carried home to work on after hours, extra change of clothes in case I went out directly from work, and an extra jacket.  Nowadays, my car is home to two car eats, window shades, and a gazillion toys.  You’ll find french fries all over the back seat, along with some juice stains.  My trunk, which once only carried my emergency kit, now houses a double stroller, an extra diaper bag, portable booster seats and more toys.

8.  Multi-tasking
Before children, I considered one of my greatest assets at the office to be my ability to multi-task.  I could work on two or three critical projects at the same time, meeting all my deadlines.  I didn’t know what multi-tasking was until I became a mother.  Now I can simultaneous prepare lunch, find a missing toy, stop a fight, let the dogs out, answer the phone and clean up at least two messes.  Occasionally, I even get a chance to eat.

7.  Dining Out
Although I’m a finicky eater, my husband and I have always been up for trying new restaurants.  At the drop of a hat, we could meet friends for dinner.  Now, we don’t go to any restaurant unless they have a children’s menu.  The restaurants where the kids eat free are even better.  Not to mention it takes us a good half hour to 45 minutes to leave the house once we’ve decided that we are going to eat out.  And let’s not even talk about gear.  Dining out requires us to bring diapers and wipes of course, but also bibs, snacks (in case there’s a wait), toys (we don’t want the twins to be bored, other patrons hate us then) and juice in sippy cups (in case the restaurant doesn’t have kid-friendly cups).

6.  Vacations
My husband and I used to take very active, outdoorsy vacations like cycling in Santa Fe, kayaking in Alaska or hiking in the mountains.  We liked romantic little inns or luxury hotels.  We didn’t mind if they were a little out of the way, we’d just enjoy the drive.  As I planned our vacation this summer I was focusing on hotels that offered lots of things for toddlers to do.  The hotel must be centrally located to everything we plan to do.  No sense keeping the twins in the car any longer than we have to.  We are actively seeking out activities focused on the children — children’s museums,  hands-on activities, theme parks.  And we must be in close proximity to some of those child-friendly dining establishments.  Did I mention we’ll be having breakfast with Elmo this year?

 5.  Music
In the past you’d find me cruising along in my car rocking to Aerosmith or George Thorogood.  You might have even caught me in the house dancing around to Shania Twain or Brian Setzer.  Today if you check my stereo, you’ll find Playhouse Disney or the CDs from my children’s music class.  I ride down the road jamming to nursery rhymes and Dan Zanes.  Long gone are the days when I stood in line for Bon Jovi tickets or tailgated at a Jimmy Buffet concert.  This week I ordered tickets for The Wiggles and next weekend we are going to see Sesame Street Live.

4.  Must See TV
Must See TV used to mean that my friends and I would gather at one of our houses to catch the latest episode of our favorite show.  In college, I remember having drinking games to 90210 or Melrose Place.  After college, Must See TV meant that we tried to not to got out on the nights of our favorite shows or, if we did, we taped/DVRed them.  Nowadays, Must See TV means the DVR is full and we must see it now or delete it so I can record Little Einsteins for the twins.

3.  Bleary-Eyed Mornings
I’ve had my fair share of bleary-eyed mornings.  Sometimes I was up all night cramming for an exam or finishing a big project for work.  Sometimes my husband and I had a “blockbuster night” and stayed up watching all our favorite movies.  More often, my husband and I had been out late with friends enjoying good conversations and very good cocktails. These days my bleary eyes are directly related to the four little feet in our house.  First the middle of the night feedings were the cause, then came the nighttime waking and night terrors.  Now that the twins are in toddler beds, we hear the patter of little feet as they head into our room for comfort in the middle of the night.

2.  Sex Life
Before children, for my husband and I, sex was very spontaneous (I’ll spare you the details).  Now, we have moved to “quickie sex,” as in quick before I fall asleep or quick before the kids wake up.  And it always seems like the kids know just when we’re in the mood, because that’s when they don’t want to fall asleep or stay asleep.  And even worse, they’ll tag team us.  First my daughter will be up and just when we get her settled in, my son will wake up.

1.  Enjoying Life
When I was in high school, I worked my butt off to get good grades and get into college.  In college, I worked three jobs to pay for school.  All the while, keeping my grades up and working on any project/internship that might help me get a good job.  Once I was out of college and had the job, I continued to work hard trying to climb the corporate ladder.  My husband and I waited nine years after we were married to have kids so that we both had good jobs and a house and everything we needed to provide for them.  But now that I’ve had my children, they’ve given me the opportunity to stop and really enjoy life.  I can spend a hour just working on puzzles or stacking blocks with the twins.  The other day we went for a walk and stopped to pick daffodils, the kind you blow the little seeds off.  While we wait for daddy to pay for groceries, the twins and I stop in the florist department to smell the flowers. 

The twins have reminded my husband and I why we’ve been working so hard.  So now we are taking time out to enjoy life more.  We get to see the world again through the eyes of a child.  And that by far is the biggest and best change I’ve had since becoming a parent.

9 Comments | Humor, Parenting, Twins | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

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