Helping Animal Rescues

Aunt Xiao Ping and kittens

It seems like just yesterday my current batch of kittens came home.  They are growing like weeds and getting along well with all of our animals and with the kids.  It is such a wonderful opportunity to help homeless animals and teach my girls about helping.

In four weeks our batch of kittens will be old enough to be spayed/neutered and find homes of their own.  They will go to the vet to have their surgery, recover, then Homeward Bound will place them for adoption.

While not everyone can spare the time or space to foster kittens, there is a lot anyone can do.  Every shelter, vet hospital, and rescue can always use donations.  Old sheets, towels, blankets, and linens are always welcomed to give homeless animals a soft place to lay.  Pillowy items can only be used once as they cannot be sanitized.  Monetary donations are always welcomed as well.  A friend and fellow blogger, Mindy, has an interesting way of donating to rescues.  She is a wonderful artist and donates paintings and drawings to be auctioned or sold for money.

Rescue groups always need help.  There is never enough people assisting them.  Anything anyone can give is appreciated.  Next time you have linens or old towels, consider donating them to a rescue instead of throwing them away.

Block Party

There seems to be a trend of neighbors distancing themselves from their neighbors.  I have lived in my house for a year and have met my neighbor once when our sprinkler system was malfunctioning.  At our prior residence we spoke to our neighbor once in three years when we accidentally received her mail. This seems to be the norm in most of the places I have lived.

My Mother moved to a house two years ago and her new neighbors, all of them on her block, are different than any I have ever lived near.  They are all on very friendly terms, speak at least every week, and have their dogs play in large groups together.  They gather to watch fights and tv shows and think nothing of helping each other with things.  As they live on a dead end street, it is a perfect place to have block parties, which they frequently do.

Nicole (left) and Nadia (right) with Grandma Judy

Saturday they had their annual Halloween block party.  It started early for the youngsters, but continued well into the morning.  There was marshmallow roasting over a raised fire pit, hot chocolate bar for the kiddies, slow roast pork sandwiches to die for, and drinks for the above 21 crowd.  I was amazed when a 6 year old boy offered to roast marshmallows for my daughters.            

Nadia and neighbor Liz

 Maybe it is just Las Vegas, however, it seems our society has lost its neighborly ways.  You rarely see neighborhood parties or barbeques.  Many neighbors don't know who their neighbors are or even how many people live next to them.  The block party was such a wonderful experience for my girls and I, I think I will try to become friends with my neighbors also. 

Game Time

Nadia and Nicole have always been drawn to electronics.  Nicole had learned to turn the tv on by the time she was a year old.  Her favorite toys are have buttons and lights.  Nadia loves anything that makes loud noises.  They pretend to talk on the phone and play games on our smartphones.

They have always wanted to play on the computer.  We have been hesitant about letting them do this but recently decided to give them an old laptop to play with.   I hunted for for a game made for 18 month olds, but was surprised there weren't very many.  I decided to give a Disney game made for 18 month to 3 year olds a shot.  Disney Toddler Game

The game is fairly simple and teaches letters, numbers, colors, and shapes.  All the girls need to do is mouse-over certain objects.  Disney characters provide lots of positive reinforcement and encouragement.  After a short play period Nicole was associating moving the mouse with what happens on the screen. 

The girls love having a game to play on their computer and I love not having to tell them to stay away from my computer so often.  They have not mastered the games yet, but I'm sure with a little more practice they will soon be surfing the web like big girls.

Rough Week

When I venture out with my kids, I am often stopped by people to ask questions about my girls. By far the most common question is "are they twins?"  The second question I hear a lot is "Are twins more work than a single child?"

Of course twins are more work, however, I have never had a single child so I don't know the differences.  I have stayed home with them since they were born, and aside from the brief times where one girls stays at a grandparents house, I always have both of them.  Day to day life has become routine and easier.

When they were young and not sleeping through the night, life was hectic.  Looking back I barely remember the first few months of their lives, I just remember being exhausted.  Life is still hectic, but in a different way.

The girls are fantastic about most things.  They can almost dress themselves, they pick out their own food, and clean up after themselves.  Usually they love playing with each other, there are days when they don't want to be around each other though.  I have set strict boundaries about what is allowed and what isn't, and both girls follow the rules most of the time.

Now that they are 19 months old, the most hectic part of life has become trying to find time for everything they want to do and everything I want them to do.  I find it hard to spend one on one time with either girl.   We try to work experiences into everyday activities and playing.

This last week has been tough on our family.  I was sick most of the week which left Charles completely in charge.  He has always downplayed how much work raising twins is and how stressful it can be.  When I got better, my mom told me Charles called her to tell her he didn't know how I do it every day.

The answer is yes, raising twins is harder than a single child, but it gives twice the joy.

Phoenix Zoo Adventure

Growing up in the Seattle/Tacoma area, I was surrounded by fantastic zoos and animal parks.  Woodland Park Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, and Northwest Trek helped shape my love of animals.  I had always hoped to take my children to the zoo at least once a month and instill a love of animals in them also.

Unfortunately Las Vegas does not have a modern zoo.  I have been hesitant to take my children to the Las Vegas Zoo after seeing pictures of the facilities.  Whenever we travel to a city with a modern zoo, I make a point of making a trip to the zoo.  While in Phoenix over the weekend, we made a trip to the Phoenix Zoo.

Nadia and aldabra tortoise

Letting kids experience animals that they would not normally see gives them a respect for the world around them.  The girls were thrilled with seeing the animals in real life instead of just in pictures.  We were lucky enough to have an old friend who works at the zoo that allowed Nadia and Nicole to meet the giant tortoises.

Experiences like these will surely stick with them into adulthood, even if they don't remember it happening.

Twins!

There are certain moments that stay in your memory.  Everyone knows where they were when they heard Kennedy was assassinated or when the terrorists attacked the World Trade Center.  You never forget your first love or your wedding day.

Today is one of those days for me.  Two years ago today I had my first ultrasound.  I was 13 weeks pregnant and had been anxiously awaiting seeing my child for the first time.  My great friend Christy was visiting from New Jersey and attended the ultrasound with Charles and I.  The ultrasound started simply enough, but within minutes I heard words that changed my life.

The ultrasound tech looked around with the scanner for a moment, then removed it and said "I have big news".  Something inside had already told me I was having twins, my Grandma actually told people before the ultrasound that I was having twins.  I asked the tech if there was more than one baby, and she said there are two.

Nadia on left, Nicole on right

Christy later told me that Charles cried when he heard.  These are the first pictures of my darling girls.

Nicole

Nadia

Purebred Animal Rescue

Before I had Nadia and Nicole, I worked at a retail pet store that did not sell animals.  Often we had customers coming in looking for cats and dogs.  As a big supporter of animal rescue, I always suggest rescues first.  Many people would state they wanted a purebred animals so they would go to a puppy store.

The majority of puppy stores get their animals from puppy mills.  Puppy mills are in the business for money and the conditions are deplorable. Besides being extremely expensive, most animals from mills are sickly, malnourished, and poorly bred.  Many of the animals have chronic health conditions and do not live long lives. 

Fiona, purebred White Persian

Jazz on left, Atrus (ours) on right, purebred Rottweiler

All of our animals have been rescues, coming from shelters and local adoption agencies.  A few of them have also been purebreds.  Petfinder is a search engine for adoption agencies.  You can search by breed, age, area or gender.  For those looking for a specific breed this is a great way to find local adoptable animals. 

Mr. Jinx, Blue Point Himalayan

The ASPCA is another great resource for locating adoptable animals.  Each state has its own chapter of the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals.

Most breeds also have breed specific rescues.  With a little hard work and patience, it is very possible to find purebred animals looking for a home.


Besides saving an animal's life by adopting, adoption is also cheaper than pet stores.  Most adoption agencies charge small fees (under $200 for dogs, around $100 for cats) for their animals.  These animals have already been spayed/neutered, had their shots, and often come with a free vet visit.  So next time you are looking for an animals, think adoption first.

Nalley Chili

One of my all time favorite foods is chili.  My Grandpa made the best chili I have ever had.  I have his recipe but I can't make it quite as great as his.  In a pinch I love a good canned chili.  Growing up in Washington I took Nalley Chili for granted.

When we moved to Las Vegas in 2007 I was shocked when I went to the grocery store and there was no Nalley Chili.  I tried many different brands but none could stand up to Nalleys.  On the few trips to Seattle I have made in the past couple years I have always bought a few cans of Nalley Chili.

Our friends in Phoenix are also from the Seattle/Tacoma area and recently returned from Washington.  They also are Nalley Chili fanatics and were upset to find no Nalley Chili in Arizona.  They brought back a few cans of chili with them and today for lunch we will be having wonderful Nalley Chili Dogs.

Phoenix or Bust

When Nadia and Nicole were a few months old, we took two trips to Seattle to visit family.  They were driving trips and we didn't stay very long.  Charles had used most of his vacation while the girls were still in the NICU.

Today we are loading up the van with all the trappings 19 month old twins need to survive a weekend away from home and setting out to Phoenix.  We have old family friends who live there and we are taking a much needed vacation.  There are plans to visit a pumpkin patch, go to the zoo, and smoke an amazing pork roast

The thought of two young children strapped in car seats for a 6 hour drive is bad enough, but we are also on the verge of a potty training breakthrough (Nadia used the potty on her own yesterday).  There will be many pit stops, lots of crying (Mom and daughters I am sure), but a great time.  Wish us luck and thank you to my friend for staying at our house to care for all of our assorted animals.

Good Day

Some days it is hard to tell if my daughters like each other.  They fight over toys, fight over me, fight over Dad.  It seems I am constantly telling them to be nice, don't hit, and to share the toys.  These days make me wonder if all twins dislike each other.

Then a day like today comes along and I am reminded that no matter how crabby they have been to each other, my girls really do love the other twin.

This morning Nadia was placed in time out for repeatedly climbing into the dishwasher, yes into it.  When Nadia was placed in time out, Nicole decided to sit quietly next to Nadia.  Every time we tried to distract Nicole away, she went right back to Nadia.  We gave up and let Nicole sit in time out with Nadia.  For the whole day, any time one of them cried the other one went to check on them.

There were still a few skirmishes between the two, but not nearly as many as usual.  When it was time to get ready for bed, we told the girls it was time to pick up their toys.  Nadia rushed over and started putting toys away.  Nicole was sad that it was bed time and sat to cry.  After some consoling we asked her if she wanted to put her blocks away.  She got up and put one in the toy box.  Nadia started clapping.

Waffles

Raising twins on a single income takes some creativity.  I am always looking for ways to save money and time.  One of our largest expenses is food.  I am always happy when I can find a way to save both money and time on food.

Mornings are always semirushed in my house.  Nadia and Nicole are hungry when they wake up and I dislike giving them cereal all the time.  We purchase a 10 pound bag of pancake mix for under $8.00 at the warehouse store.  The bag makes 80 servings.
We pre-make waffles when we have free time and freeze them.  When it is time to feed the girls, we stick their waffles in the toaster.  To make the waffles a little healthier, we mix in quick oats for insoluble fiber and either grated carrots or zucchini for some veggies into the batter.  We have also considered adding in grated sweet potatoes patted dry, but have not done this yet. We do not use syrup in the house to cut back on refined sugar.

The other trick is to keep the waffles interesting.  There are many things you can add to the batter to liven things up.  I typically add vanilla extract, cinnamon, or other yummy flavors.  We have tried powdered chai mix and cardamon.  I also add water based food colorings to make them more fun.  Charles loves to take his waffles and use them to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that he eats on his way to work.

Depending on what you add into the waffles, they come to about $0.09 per serving.

Crib Bumpers

While I was pregnant, I read every book about babies and baby care I could get my hands on.  As a first time mother I was very safety conscience and worried a lot. We put locks on all the drawers and as an extra precaution placed all the cleaners way out of baby reach.

When I set up the nursery I read all I could about safety and SIDS.  I made sure there were no pillows in the crib, no blankets, no toys and no windows nearby.  However, I thought that it was odd that crib bumpers seemed to be deemed safe. It seems to me that they are just another suffocation hazard that should be kept from children.  My girls did not have bumpers on their cribs.  We had no instances of them getting limbs stuck between railings and they slept just fine.

Today I read that the American Association of Pediatrics has declared crib bumpers to be unsafe.  They have stated they increase a child's risk of SIDS.  I am very pleased they have done this. 


Below is a link to the AAP about crib safety and bedding.
http://www.healthychildren.org/english/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Choosing-a-Crib.aspx

Play Time

While Charles and I were slowly drinking our morning cup of coffee today, Nicole informed us she had other plans.  She brought our shoes to us and then tried putting on her own shoes.  After we all had shoes on, she tried to open the front door.  Obviously she wanted an outing.

After finishing breakfast, we all piled in the car and went to the neighborhood park.  The nice part of living in the desert is you can spend a lot of the year outdoors.  It is the middle of October and in the mid 80's here.

Both girls ran for the slides when we arrived.  They recently discovered the joys of sliding.

After a bout of sliding, Nadia decided to examine the local flora.  She discovered that some bushes have bees flying around them.

The park is fairly large and has lots of grass.  After the bees the girls decided to run around the grass.  This was tons of fun until it was time to water the grass.  Nadia had a very stern talk with one of the sprinklers.

Adventures in Potty Training, Pt 1

There comes a day in every little girls life where she needs to learn the important step of using the big girl potty.  Today is the day for Nadia and Nicole.

Nadia and Nicole have been showing signs of being ready for potty training for quite awhile.  Every family member has told me I need to start potty training them.  The thing no one seems to remember is I am the mother of twins.  All attempts that have been made to potty train my girls have ended in bare-bottomed babies fighting over their potty chair (yes we do have two).  As funny as it sounds, it is not very fun to clean up.

Charles has decided to use the two weeks of vacation time from work that he has been accumulating all year.  This means I have a helper for the next two week.  There will never be a more perfect time to tackle this task.

So far there have been no successes.  There have been some close calls and more importantly, the girls are seeming to get the idea of what they should be doing.  With any luck this process will proceed quickly and my girls will be one step closer to asking for the car keys.

Holidays

I have never been one for holidays.  I never enjoyed looking at Christmas lights, I detested Halloween (my birthday is right before) and Thanksgiving seemed to be a reason to eat a lot.  I would celebrate with my family and friends, but I was never really in the spirit.

Nadia and Nicole changed all that for me.  Last year was their first holiday season.  They were 7 months old for Halloween and didn't think very much of the adorable costumes I forced them to sit still in. 

Nadia the tiger, Nicole the monkey

Thanksgiving passed very much the same way.  Their Great Uncle and Aunt visited from China, we had the traditional dinner, and Nadia and Nicole didn't care.


All that changed with Christmas.  I decorated a small tree and hung some garland on one of our fish tanks.  The girls loved the lights and really loved ripping open packages.

Now that the holiday season is here again and my girls are a year older, I find myself excited about decorating for them.  I have hung a small amount of spider webbing and placed some glow in the dark rats and spiders around.  My fish tank has been decorated for the season.

I cannot wait to finish Halloween decorating and decorating for the other holidays.  I hope my girls find wonder and joy in the holidays.

Aspiring Parrotheads

One of the nice things about living in Las Vegas is all the fun things to see and do.  Yesterday was the grand opening of the Margaritaville Casino at the Flamingo.  While the event was a bit crowded, my girls rode in their kokopax carriers and had a great time.

Nicole and Grandma Judy

The day started with a street fair with lots of live music, entertainers, and food.  The worlds largest margarita was made to kick off the festivities.  While the girls couldn't taste this, I can assure you there was booze in the blender.  Afterwards we had a wonderful lunch with an old friend at the Margaritaville restaurant.

Nadia and Nicole split their first cheeseburger in paradise while dodging pirates.


Nicole danced almost the entire meal to Jimmy Buffett.  We will be sure to return soon.

Night Terrors

Around 1am this morning Charles and I were woken up by Nicole screaming.  A child crying in the middle of the night is bad enough, however, when  you know there is nothing you can do to comfort them it is even worse.

Nicole was about 3 months old when she first started waking up in the night screaming.  She would cry, hit us, and scream inconsolably for about 20 minutes.  Nothing seemed to calm her, then just as fast as it started it would end and she acted like nothing had happened.

Her pediatrician stated these episodes were night terrors and were a sleep disorder.  I immediately started researching the topic.  Night Terrors are different from a normal nightmare.  The child cannot wake up from the terror.  All our attempts to console her were making no difference because she was sound asleep.  Research states that children have no recollection of the night terror the next day, which is a blessing because they appear to be very traumatizing.

While there is no cure for the night terrors, there does seem to be ways to control them.  Consistent sleep schedules work very effectively with Nicole.  If she misses a nap or stays up late, we can pretty much guarantee she will have one either that night or the next. In more severe cases, parents have reported that waking their child shortly after they fall asleep can interrupt their sleep pattern enough to stop the night terror from happening. 

Keeping Nicole's sleep schedule consistent helps alleviate the amount of night terrors she has, but does not completely stop them.  When she is sleeping well she has about 1 night terror a month, compared to the 2 to 3 a week she was having.  When they do occur, all we can do for her is hold her and be there for her when she wakes up.

For more information:
http://www.nightterrors.org
/http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000809.htm

Kokopax

One of the first items I received as a gift when I had my twins was two Kokopax backpack carriers.  Unfortunately I was unable to use the carriers until my girls were about six months old, for safety reasons kids need to be able to sit upright unsupported before using backpack carriers.  However, since this time the carriers have become indispensable.

The carriers are lightweight, under 3 pounds, and made of durable, washable fabric over an aluminum frame.  I was worried at first that the girls would pull hair and ears because they were at head level, however, they seem to love being able to see what I am seeing and they leave my hair and ears alone.  

We love to go hiking and these packs are sturdy enough to take on day hikes, yet easy enough to use while doing housework or going shopping.  During long outings, the girls often fall asleep in the carriers and the sides of the carrier are padded so my girls are nice and comfortable.

Nadia asleep in Kokopax carrier

Grandma Judy with Nadia in Kokopax carrier at Death Valley

www.kokopax.com
 Our Kokopax Carriers were such a success, when a friend had a baby I knew she had to have one.  Her daughter is almost old enough to ride in her carrier and updates will follow.

Diaper wipes, who would have thought they could do so many things.  Having twins and animals means having messes, lots of messes.  I have never enjoyed cleaning, I don't like cleaning products (don't like chemicals around the kids or critters, and hate the price), and have always been frustrated that I didn't have the right product to get things out.  Almost all of that changed when I discovered diaper wipes.

It happened shortly after Nadia and Nicole were born.  Spit up formula is horrible to get out of clothes, bedding, carpet, anything.  I heard that diaper wipes were great at cleaning up formula so I tried it, and VOILA!   formula came right out.  That got me thinking...what else could diaper wipes do.

I soon discovered that diaper wipes are the magic cleaner.  Charles and I are clumsy people and often spill things.  Coffee, grape juice, and wine in carpets are no match for a diaper wipe or two.  Car grease on your hands?  Try a diaper wipe, they will take it right off.  No dust bunny can hide from a diaper wipe.  Charles even fixed the suction on our aging vacuum cleaner with a diaper wipe. 

We shop a lot at a large chain warehouse store, where I buy my diaper wipes at an average price of $0.02 per wipe.

Homeward Bound

I am a lover of all animals and believe that animals improve peoples lives.  We started the day Nadia and Nicole were born teaching them a love and respect for animals.

In addition to our own animals, we strongly believe in animal rescue.  While my schedule does not permit me to volunteer at any shelters or organizations, our family does foster kittens and cats for a local cat rescue, Homeward Bound.

www.homewardboundcats.org
www.facebook.com/HomewardBoundCatAdoptions
We are currently fostering four 6 week old kittens.

Fostering involves providing love and shelter for cats until they are old enough to be adopted.  Many people wrongly assume there are many people who are fostering so they won't be needed, however, there is always a lack of foster parents.  Another misconception is that it will be hard to return the cats when it is time for them to find their forever homes.  The joy that comes from a kitty finding their forever family outdoes any heartache that comes from returning the kitties.

 Nadia and Nicole love the kittens we foster.  They have learned to become gentle and play nicely with them.  Since they became old enough to interact with the kittens, Nadia and Nicole have become more careful in all their activities.  They have learned to respect the animals boundaries, as well as becoming more respectful of peoples boundaries.

Fostering has been a win win situation for us. I highly urge everyone who is able to volunteer in any capacity with an organization.  The benefits are more than can be counted.

Nadia and Nicole

My name is Jennifer and I am a 30 year old mother of twin girls, Nadia and Nicole.  They are 18 months old  and  were born in Las Vegas, NV in March of 2010. They are fraternal twins and are about as different as two people could be.  Nicole has dark brown hair, looks just like her Dad, she tends to be shy but when she feels comfortable is extremely silly.  Nadia has blond hair, looks just like her Mom (except Momma has red hair), is very outspoken and outgoing. 

Our family is fairly widespread.  Three Grandparents live in Las Vegas NV (Judy, Gary and Qing Qing) and two in Seattle, WA (Bob and Kat).  There are four Great-Grandmother's still living, one in Gig Harbor WA (Marilyn), one in Fort Collins CO (Bette), one in Princeton NJ (Ruth), and one in China (Chong Rong).  Nadia and Nicole also have three uncles, Fong Fong in Las Vegas, Shawn in Seattle and Chris in Montreal Canada.

Their Dad, Charles, is a 26 years old upper manager for a large retail pet company.  He attended the University of Washington and obtained degrees in German and Political Science.  He is passionate about his family, photography, and animals.

Since becoming a mother of twins, my life has changed drastically.  I quit my job to become a full-time stay at home Mom.  This has put some financial strain on our family, however we feel it is important for our children to have a parent at home.  The purpose of this blog is to share the knowledge I have accumulated, review items, and connect with other parents.