5 Hints for Twin Moms Part 1

1. ANY diaper pail will be obsolete in the battle against the war of the never ending diaper. Yes they CAN help with the lovely smell of that 2 am diaper ambush, but while those liners can usually last a week with one baby, you will be looking at going through at least three a week with twins. (I know the math doesn’t add up there but trust me, for some reason twins seem to always make three times as much mess as a single baby in any aspect.)  You are better off, saving all of those grocery bags you get and then just double bagging the little bundles of smell.
2. Don’t feel bad for propping bottles. When I was home alone with my twins for the first time since they came home from the NICU I was lucky enough that I had had a few weeks to heal myself ( not that having babies in the NICU is lucky ) but it was still a fun time learning how to handle two screaming babies when they were hungry at the same time. I was lucky enough that I received two travel swings at my baby shower. (One item I would HIGHLY recommend getting in pairs.) I figured if I held one baby while propping the other baby during feedings then i could prevent the screaming. The trick is to switch babies half way through the feeding when it was time to burp. I would burp the one I was holding then put him in his swing and prop his bottle, then I would pick the other one up and burp him then hold him for the rest of his feeding.  (Never prop a bottle while you are away from your child, in the car or at night time. In addition to the chances of aspiration or choking, continuos and long term propping can cause ear infections, baby bottle teeth and also deprives your little one and you of great bonding time) 
3. Don’t feel bad if you get them confused. Now obviously this isn’t for everyone. I had identical twin boys.... YEP double dose of boys. There were a few small differences at first. One was a little bigger, one was a little redder. But in the end, I can’t guarantee that I wouldn’t have fed the same baby twice in the middle of the night if I hadn’t had painted their toe nails.  ( Be cautious with this one if you have silly family. My brother decided to switch the nail polish on the twins one day when I was at work.  Luckily I trust my brother enough to know he knew which one was which in the end.  Although to this day I still wonder if I ever switched them up and A is really B and Bis really A.... )
4. If your twins are not your first children then you have an idea of what to expect as they get older. I.E. MOBILE!  However I said an IDEA. Think back to what your older child got into.... now double that and that is most likely SOME of what your twins will get into. Even when they are safely tucked in their cribs for nap time it is not always safe to assume they are not getting into something. Let me paint you a picture. You just put the twins down for nap, you finally have 2 hours to yourself and you decide a nap and a shower are in order. You decide to check on them after an hour, like every other day, however this time you open the door to see they have discovered their diapers contained this great finger paint that looked soooo much better than the baby blue walls you picked out before they came home. THAT was a great day.... lets just end that story with them getting MY shower, and me getting to use up the last 3 magic erasers I had. 
5. It may seem easier at first to cater to each of their individual schedules, but trust me thats just setting yourself up for exhaustion, 48 hours with no sleep for you and a very frazzled home life.  When one wakes up to eat, WAKE THE OTHER ONE UP. Same thing for diaper changes if the little sleepy one needs it as well. Doing this takes a little longer each time since your dealing with both of them, but it will save you from finally laying down at 3 am just to be woken up at 3:10 am by the other one. Doing this is most likely what saved my sanity those first few weeks after they came home while we all adjusted to them. 

The BLAHS!

     Yep, that says the BLAHS!  What are the blahs? The blahs are what I call it when I feel lazy, tired, unmotivated and just all around BLAH.
     Usually I am up late cleaning until  about 1 or 2 am, or I fall asleep early and the wake up before others and clean then. But lately I have been doing NEITHER. Yes I pick up my house and yes I feed my family. But you want to know a secret? Out  of all the things I need to do in a day laundry is my enemy..... Don't get me wrong. I dont mind putting it in the wash and then dryer.... I HATE putting it away. So much so that I actually currently am short one chair in my living room because there is a huge fat laundry monster taking the whole thing up.  I can wake up and force myself to clean the kitchen or the twins room, or whatever else needs to be done. But not the laundry?!?!
    See for me, I need motivation to do something. Some things are self motivating,  Oh you want to make bread? Cant do it unless you clean the kitchen first! You  want to have friends over tonight after the kids go to bed? DANG gotta get that living room floor cleaned up since the girls left out barbie shoes, a cup and random other things. Not really a whole lot of motivation to put up a mountain of laundry. ( Getting my chair back isn't that important to me. )
     I came across a few things a while back and try to keep them in my mind when I am working on things I really don't want to be. This is MY list of ways to motivate me. Things that work for me, and I am glad I have them, however quirky they may be. I am hoping theres someone else out there in the vast world who is just like me and needs some motivation, and just happens to come across my blog and then maybe this can help them....

• Imagining the work done. This is a big one for me because I know that my life feels more manageable when things are in order around me. I may be a bit more extreme than most on this because even having just one dish in the sink can throw me off somewhat.
• Music. Yes music, an upbeat song I enjoy can really get me going and help things seem less than they are. I prefer my music kinda loud, so this option doesn't work if it's late or people are trying to sleep. 
• Rewarding myself. I am not talking about getting ice cream after my chores are done, or doing my homework. ( but hey if thats what motivates you, go for it! ) I enjoy baking and trying new recipes, but its just not as fun or as easy when the kitchen is dirty, so that is a good reward for myself when I get the kitchen cleaned.  

I know the list is short, but honestly it doesn't really take much if its something you really want/ need to do. 

       So I guess what I need to do right now, is get off my behind, turn some music on and go take care of that mole hill I turned into a mountain in my living room chair.

Wait for it.... Waiiit for it..... BAM! Cinnamon Rolls!

 So I HATE active dry yeast....... well, hate is a strong word.... I strongly dislike it.  I have tried numerous times to make fresh bread at home, both years ago as well as in the past few months. I didn't really know much about yeast so I always went with active dry because well.... thats basic yeast. I figured basic is easier.... HA!  So after my last failed attempt I went online to see if there was something I was doing wrong, was it undercooked, was it over floured? Anyway, while looking at that, I came across an article outlining the differences between active dry yeast and rapid rise yeast, as well as the different forms they come in. (Here is the link for anyone interested... active dry yeast vs. rapid rise yeast ) So I decided on a whim to buy a packet of rapid rise yeast when I was at the store later that week and decided to make some cinnamon swirl bread. This is was the softest fluffiest bread I'd ever had! It turned out WONDERFUL!  So I ran with it. I made 3 loaves in two days because it kept disappearing!
     I FINALLY FOUND A JAR OF RAPID RISE YEAST! Yay!

Best yeast EVER!

So today I give you......CINNAMON ROLLS!  The recipe is one that I found online and tweaked a little bit myself. But the cream cheese glaze that I put on top is actually something I mixed up myself HOPING it would work.... thankfully it did!   Here is what you will need and what to do.

 3/4 cup milk
 1/4 cup margarine, softened
 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
 1/4 cup white sugar
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/4 cup water
 1 egg
 1 cup brown sugar, packed
 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
 1 teaspoon nutmeg
 1/2 cup margarine, softened
 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.  
   
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.  
   
3. Cover the dough with a damp cloth ( I always prefer plastic wrap.... no idea why) and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, softened margarine.  
   
   
4. Stretch out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with margarine/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 10 ( or 12 if you like to use the ends as well) equal size rolls and place cut side up in a cast iron skillet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).   
   
5.  Remove covering and then bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned.

   

   YUMMY!

6. Take 2 oz of softened cream cheese and 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix them together. Add milk 1/4 cup at a time and blend till you have a consistency you like. Then top the rolls and enjoy!

Welcome to my KAOS!

        Ok so if you haven't figured it out already I am a mom. Yes a stay at home mom who has way too much time and not enough time at the SAME TIME.  By the end of February we will be homeowners as well! YAY! we are buying a single wide in a community we really like and are enjoying being out of the city. Adjusting to life in a small town has been a trip but we have discovered some great places and enjoy a bit more of a selection since we are about 20 minutes away from two great "cities" on either side of us. We however do NOT like the kitchen and the bathrooms or the walls..... but I LOVE the floors. We know we can buy a new one with the stuff we want for about $75k but right now we are focusing on saving and making this one what we want while we look for land and wait for the twins to grow up some more ( I wont cringe AS MUCH when they use the carpet as a canvas in something we plan on upgrading later lol)
        At the same time I am learning how to save money and stretch our groceries further and make stuff at home myself. I spent $20 on breakfast burritos the other day and realized I could have made much better ones for about 1/4 the cost today.....
        So join me and my crazy family as we learn new things and pass the info on to you.... I mean why do all of us need to make the same mistakes when you can learn from me?