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.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
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
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.
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. Monday, October 17, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
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.
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.
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.
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.
 |
| 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.
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