Molly Piper

There are still icy snow patches left in the yard, the temperatures haven’t reached 60 degrees, and our grass is more like a mud-wrestling pit than a yard, but I guess that’s spring in Minneapolis!

We had such horrible cabin fever this weekend, that we decided to just hit the front porch and let the big kids play in the yard, mud and all.

Cadence wasn’t feeling particularly photogenic, but Whit was pretty happy with the arrangement!

I thought he looked like a dock worker in his little pea coat and rolled-brim hat. I captured this little gem that really needs a caption:

By the way, the twins turned 8 months old this weekend! Can’t even believe it!

[Image via]

I don’t know about you, but as a mom I have a really hard time winding down during a busy day. Even if I get a chance to sit down (and sometimes that’s a really big if), I still feel like my inner mom-engine is idling faster than my husband’s old ’87 Chevy Cavalier that could accelerate to 40mph by itself.

But from time to time (and now it’s happening more frequently as the twins have a more normal schedule), all my kids are down for naps/resting time at the same time. And when that happens, in that sweet, magical hour, all I want to do is crash on the couch. (Usually I have to prep dinner if we want to eat, but what I want to do is crash.)

Some afternoons I decide “Hey everyone! It’s pancakes for dinner!” and I hit the couch. But I need help to relax. And since most people would question a glass of wine by myself at 1:30pm (myself included), I’ve had to think of other options. For me, the trick is earplugs!

When I get those precious few moments, earplugs help drown out the noise around me, and somehow that seems to help with the noise inside my head. I tell myself, “Welp, if one of the twins wakes up in the next 15-20 minutes, they’re gonna be just fine. They’re safe in their cribs and will do a little lung exercise for a few minutes.”

I’ve also used earplugs during what I call “The Witching Hour” (you know what I’m talking about, that last hour before your husband comes home?). If the big kids are doing something and are safely occupied, the twins are sleeping or playing safely (in the jumper or exersaucer or crib), I put them in and prep dinner for a few minutes of peace. If something happens to one of the big boys, they make enough commotion for me to hear them despite my earplugs, and one of them will inevitably come find me (those mobile ones are tricky).

Of course, a couple warnings/precautions:

• I do not endorse neglect. The needs of my children are important to me, and earplugs are used when their needs are met.
• I use them for maybe 20 minutes at a time, max. Just enough to feel a little more relaxed and sane and recharged.

But if you’re like me and need help unwinding when you get the time, I think earplugs might help. Give ‘em a try!

PS-I’ve also used earplugs whenever I go to the hospital for a delivery. Especially if you’re being induced and have to go in the night before, and you have to listen to monitors beeping all night (and for me, the fear’s  so intense at times), earplugs have helped me actually get a little bit of sleep. The nurses all laugh at me, because they have to come over and shake me awake to check my vitals, but it’s worth it!

Last week our church had a little Film Fest. What’s a Film Fest you ask? Well, let me tell you!

• We signed up in teams to make a 3-6 minute film.
• We had two weeks to do it.

These were our parameters:

• We were assigned a genre (the possibilities were action/adventure, comedy, music video, sci-fi, and mockumentary).
• All the teams had to use the same specified prop (this year it was a hula hoop).
• All the teams had to use the same specific line of dialogue somewhere in the film (“It’s like taking a drink from a fire hose.”).

Then, after the deadline, an “academy” of people watches them and decides on winners for awards. There’s an awards ceremony at the church where they show all of the films on the big screen in the sanctuary, with popcorn & pop. People dress in their old prom dresses, bridesmaid dresses, suits, and even their wacky costumes.

Everyone walks the red carpet and gets interviewed by the Hoperazzi (our in-house version of paparazzi). It’s a total blast!

We had so much fun doing this, we might be hooked. Though it took a lot of time, it was a really fun thing to do as a family and group of friends!

Working very diligently for two weeks, this is the action/adventure movie our group came up with! (*NOTE: At 2:09 the audio cuts out for a couple seconds and I can’t figure out why.*)

Our team won for “Best Editing” thanks to the amazing Abraham, and for “Most Dramatic Moment.” Can you guess which one?

Hope you enjoyed watching it! We were pretty proud of how it turned out!

Awhile back I wrote a post for inCourage about my difficulties with regular Bible-reading.

Many people left comments on that post, confessing as well that Bible reading is difficult for them. Perhaps you’re one of them?

So I guess I’m just feeling a need to check in and ask: How you doin’?

Here’s what I’m not interested in:

• Any type of wow-I’m-so-great nonsense.
• Attempts to earn brownie points with God.

BUT…are we doing the hard thing?

How I’m Doin’

Right now, I’ve found that I’m bad at going to the open Bible on my counter. I won’t lie, there may even be dust settling in that page.

BUT…I’ve decided to keep my little Bible and a small journal in the car.

Each day I go pick up Orison from kindergarten, and I’m usually there with 5-10 minutes to spare. So on my way there (about a 15 minute drive), I’m praying. No formula, no list, just whatever/whoever God brings to mind as I drive.

Then when I get there, I pull my little Bible out from between the seats and crack it open.

Right now I’m reading the Psalms, and in my notebook I write character traits of God, questions I have, or verses I love.

I might not make it through a whole chapter some days, and some days I’m running late and I don’t get to it at all, but at least there’s some time that I’m trying to set aside.

What have been your trials and errors? What’s working? What’s not?

So I’m realizing that having a bigger family means that sickness seems to last FOREVER!

It started a few weeks ago when Orison had the runny eyes and nose and a slight fever. Then it developed into a cough. But before he could get over it, Morrow & Whit joined the party and decided to not be outdone by their brother.

And picking up the rear, me and Cadence are on the mend.

We haven’t been to church as a family in three weeks. Which means we really haven’t gone anywhere, because it’s too difficult to take all the kids out anyway. And if they’re miserable and moody with colds…forget about it.

So this week, I’ve been nursing a yucky cold and have thus been silent in the blogging world. I love you all, but I need to take care of me and mah brood first.

So, here’s hoping we’ve seen the last of it (for now) and I’ll be posting more next week. Have a lovely weekend, all!

And to you Minnesotans, enjoy the warm-up (upper 30s, yee-HAW!)!

I can’t believe that it’s been six months since I had these two little babies!

It’s been a blessed, albeit crazy, six months with these two rascals in our lives. I wish I had more time to write and reflect on their life today. Most of my day’s just going to be taking care of them! And that, my friends, is such a gift. There seems to be a million needs around me at all times, but I’m so honored and humbled that I get to mother these children.

[Photo credit: Katie]

As many of you know, last weekend I traveled to Birmingham, ALABAMA!!! (A couple times during the weekend I’d think to myself, “This is really surreal–I’m in Alabama….)

Did you know that the license plates say “Sweet Home”?

Growing up in the North and not traveling much as a child, it’s still weird to me that I get to go on trips and see new places (especially places that are so different than ones I’m used to). I love that! I was the navigator for my little duo (me & Shannon, formerly/presently of Rocks in My Dryer) and it was so delightful for me. And no GPS, I’ll have you know! I like the adventure of exploring a new place, and even getting a little bit lost.

There’s something about cell phones and GPS systems that makes us rely less and less on each other and more on satellites and Google. Now, I’m all for those tools, don’t get me wrong, but I like having to stop and ask a random gas station worker for directions. I like getting to have that conversation about where I’m from, what brought me to Alabama, etc. It keeps life interesting!

Anyway…

Your prayers were answered! My time in Birmingham was exhausting in a good way and refreshing in all the right ways. Spending time in the Word and being with new and old blogging friends was amazing. I was in awe most of the time, marveling at just how good God is, allowing all of us to be together and get to know each other better.

And some of the best news came on Saturday night at our little (awesome) Compassion get-together dinner. Through the blogging trips that Compassion has done, 5,000 children have been sponsored. That means that God has worked in 5,000 of you to change the life of a child in poverty, probably someone you’ll never meet. But you will change their life!!! It was such fantastic news.

Here’s a picture of our group (the ones who were able to make the trip to Birmingham):

You can pop over to Shaun’s site (the guy in at the top left of this picture) to get descriptions of everyone in this picture. But let me say this: I love these people. LOVE them.

And My Man (taking my cues from Beth Moore here) kept the home fires burning through the weekend like he (almost) didn’t even need me here. He hauled all four children to the Christmas tree lot and brought a beautiful tree home and set it up so that I’d be surprised when I got home on Sunday night! And making room for a Christmas tree required some furniture re-arranging in the living room, which he did beautifully! Seriously, my man…he’s incredible.

I wish I had more time to tell you about the weekend. But as I type there’s some people who need me.

This weekend I have the privilege of traveling to Birmingham, AL for a Beth Moore event called Deeper Still.

The main reason I’m going is because there’s a group of Compassion Bloggers doing a reunion during/after this event. Here’s what I’m looking forward to:

• Getting to meet one of my blogging mentors (seriously, she helped my blog so much) Shannon, along with TONS of other awesome people who’ve done Compassion Blogger trips.
• All of my blogging teammates from my El Salvador trip will be there!
• Meeting some of you??? If you’ll be there, come say hello. I’ll probably be lurking somewhere near the Dayspring booth at times.

But, as you all know, I have 4 children, 2 of them infant twins. So how am I making this trip happen? Well, it takes a village (or a small army sometimes). I’m very deeply thankful for:

• My amazing husband, who’s braving all four children alone. I have full confidence in him as I leave, and I’m so thankful for that. AND, the fact that he wants me to go and have fun. If the tables were turned I’d be whining and probably annoyed that he was leaving. He makes all kinds of joyful sacrifices on my behalf, and I’m so thankful. Love you, Abraham!
• My awesome in-laws, who donated their frequent flier miles to help me pay for an airline ticket. With twins arriving, times are kinda tough for us financially, and my in-laws are always so generous and gracious. Thank you, John & Noel.
• My mother-in-law and my sister-in-law taking care of all four children tomorrow while Abraham’s at work. You are so great with them, and I don’t have to feel nervous about their care at all.
• My friend Shannon in Minneapolis, who’s driving the car pool both ways tomorrow and taking care of Morrow during the morning kindergarten time. Shannon, you have such a gift of servanthood. You’ve made this transition to twins so much easier by loving and serving us. Thanks for helping me get this time away.

Also, I’m really looking forward to time in the Bible. Since the babies have come, my times there are brief and infrequent. In no way do I feel like my roots are deep, and I don’t feel very strong. I feel like I really need this time for the sake of my soul.

Please pray for my small army and for me as I travel. As much as I am excited, it’s hard to leave. I’ll miss my family!

And hopefully I’ll be seeing some of you in Alabama (which is a state I’ve never visited, so I’m getting to add a state to my list! YAY!)

So maybe this is just a plain ole parenting tip, rather than having to do specifically with twins, but it happened to me yesterday (with one of the twins) and so it’s being grandfathered in with the twin tips.

Abraham writes:

If your baby is inconsolable and you’ve done everything for them that you can think of, check their fingers and toes to make sure there’s no hair twisted around any of them. (And on boys, check the penis, too.)

This is called a hair tourniquet. It cuts off circulation and is about as uncomfortable as it seems like it would be.

In my case yesterday I was able to remove the hair from Cadence’s finger pretty easily, though the indentation remained for a few minutes, making me check and double-check it multiple times to make sure I’d gotten it all. Scary!

Feel free to share your favorite hair tourniquet stories in the comments!

In my last post about surviving twins, I revealed a grave error: I put a kid down on a sheet without something underneath his head. That’s a rookie mistake, friends.

Now ordinarily, especially when I’ve had spitty babies, they don’t lay down ANYWHERE without something under the head to catch the nast. Which leads me to…

Twin Survival Tip #2: Have a ridiculous amount of burp cloths available.

You can choose what kind of burp cloths you want, but just know that you should have more than you think you’re going to need, and keep them in multiple convenient places throughout the house.

In my experience I buy the jumbo pack of white automotive towels from Costco. I think it comes in a pack of 60 or something insane like that. I paid about $20 for the whole pack. They aren’t the softest towels ever made, but they’re absorbent. They’re also plain white, so if they ever need a good bleaching, it’s no problem.

They’re also useful for a quick, on-the-fly changing pad. Because when you have twins you’re not going to haul the babies upstairs to their changing table every time they need a diaper.

They sell the white towels at Target in the automotive section as well, but they don’t come in massive quantities.

Keep this in mind for a baby shower gift for the expecting-twins mom. I got a huge tub of white automotive towels for my first baby (a singleton). They were rolled all cutely and neatly into a tub with a few other small gifts. Just be sure to wash them before you give them, because they will need it to fluff up a bit and look nicer.

You could also accomplish the same thing with cloth diapers. They’re definitely softer, but probably more expensive.

Chime in! What do you use for burp cloths? How many should you have (approximately)? What do you use them for?

Twin Tip Submissions: If you have a suggestion for surviving twins, contact me!