Molly Piper

I just have to keep posting pictures, because I love them so much!

We lovingly call this face “Bulldog.” Whenever she does it, we get the biggest kick out of it! I was so excited to catch it on camera!

Me with my blue-eyed-boy! I don’t think I’ve told you all, but while I was in Hawaii, Whit became an all-out crawler. The kid goes everywhere! He’s unstoppable. And he has the softest, most nuzzleable (is that a word? It is now.) head ever to top a baby.

The twins will be 9 months old next week! I can hardly believe it.

Yesterday was the twins’ first Easter! It was much like any of their other days in most ways, except that they got to be held pretty much all day by visitors and friends. Pretty good gig for them.

I haven’t told you all very much about our live-in help, Miss Katie. I’m choosing to respect her privacy and our relationship by keeping most details about her out of my blog. But I will say…I love her to pieces. She’s amazing with my children. Seriously, her coming to live with us is an answer to prayers that I hadn’t even thought to pray, but God said, “Hey Molly, I think you need…” and just gave it. So great.

Well, one of the specific things I love about Katie is that she’s a photographer. And she really loves to take pictures of my kids! Double yay for us! She just got a new lens for her camera the other day, so all of us were treated to fun pictures of yesterday’s Easter festivities while she played with her new toy!

She grabbed these ones of the twins:

What I love about the second one is how it really captures who they are right now. Whit is always playing this game when he’s in his highchair, where he lays his head down just like that, and then someone (or everyone) copies him, and then he does it again. It’s so cute!

And Cadence, she pretty much always has her mouth open that wide, smiling or making these funny growling noises. And her arms are always out to the sides like that. Always.

And here’s my big boy on Easter:

And my other big boy:

A couple funny things about this one: 1. it was 60 degrees out and he needed neither the coat or the hat, but had almost no concept for a warm day. That’s the kind of spring it’s been around here. 2. He’s attempting a jail break under the front gate. And he even has a sneaky look on his face!

I hope you all had a lovely day yesterday.

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!

I think this one is so funny, because it looks like she’s striking a pose.

And here’s one of them hanging out together yesterday:

I can’t believe they’re 7+ months old already. Life is fun and VERY busy.

I know this is probably something many moms rely on, but I’ve found it very necessary in this season of twin babies to

COOK MEAT BEFORE I NEED IT!

(Also, if you have twins, this doesn’t apply to you in the first 3 months. If you’re just eating a lot of frozen pizza or takeout, that’s okay!)

Here’s what I do:

CHICKEN

• I buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts when they’re on sale. I typically buy 2-3 large packages.
• I bake mine on 2 large pizza pans.
• Let them cool.
• Cube about half, shred about half.
• Bag it in 3 & 4 cup quantities in quart-sized freezer bags.
• Great for lots of different soups, fajitas, enchiladas, casseroles (or hot dish if you’re in Minnesota), chicken pot pie.

[from Kimberly Belle on Flickr]

*Last time I did this, I was just going to do shredded chicken, so I used my crock pot with a little bit of water in the bottom, and they were so tender, I was able to shred them with my (clean!) fingers. Super easy!

GROUND BEEF

• Buy a few large packages when they’re on sale.
• Typically I try to cook it with diced onion (I have a Pampered Chef chopper thingy and that makes onions easier). Since most recipes that call for ground beef typically call for sauteed onion as well, I just do them together from the get-go.
• Freeze in quart-sized freezer bags in 2 & 3 cup quantities.
• Great for spaghetti, tacos, taco soup, chili, shepherd’s pie, sloppy joe’s.

[from Mike on Flickr]

HAM

• Buy a half-ham when they’re on sale.
• Since they’re already cooked, you just slice it, cube it, whatever!
• Freeze in quart-sized freezer bags in 1-2 cup quantities.
• I use this for ham & bean soup, wild rice soup, egg bake.

[from Deb on Flickr]

Notes
*Make sure you write the quantity on the bag. Very helpful!
*I keep the kinds of meat separated in my deep freezer in plastic shopping bags. It’s just easier than rifling through the freezer when the time comes. And then you don’t lose any down in the abyss of the deep freeze!

Basically, if I didn’t do this, we wouldn’t eat. I know there are probably greener and/or cheaper ways to do it, but this is how it works for me right now.

This has really cut down on my cooking time. What other pre-cooking hacks have you found helpful with multiples or many young children?

I didn’t post this picture yesterday, but just had to share it today.

My baby’s working on his Blue Steel!

What do you think? How’s he doing?

Perhaps my child has a future as a male model? A mom can only hope.

Or, as Danielle captioned the photo, “”I will call her my squishy and she will be MINE!”

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]

If you have twins you are not going to have a lot of time for meals. It’s just reality. I know they tell you if you’re nursing that you need to eat healthy, well-balanced meals and snacks. The more children you get, and the closer they are to each other in age, the chances of that decrease almost exponentially.

So I’ve taken to always having snacks in the van. Some of you might be thinking, “Duh! I always do that!” Well, I suppose I’d often have snacks in my purse, especially when I was pregnant, but I never had the quantity necessary for how often I need them now that I can rarely get a spare moment to eat at home. And most of the snacks weren’t for me, but for the kids.

Here’s what I consider for mom snacks:

• They have to have a shelf life. Anything perishable is not gonna work for me and my brain right now. I just need to be able to get in the car, realize I’m starving, and have something available.
• In my arctic world, you have to pick things that won’t freeze!
• Decently healthy. I’m not a super-duper health nut, but I’m not a junk food junkie, either.

I find that my private stash of snacks often includes crackers and nuts. They fit my criteria quite nicely.

My quick cracker of choice is Cheez-Its. I have to be careful not to gorge on them, but they’re still my faves, and if I just eat a few, I figure it’s okay. I’m sure I’ll get emails about how bad they are for me or how they’re made with carcinogen-soaked cow stomachs or something. Whatevs, I guess I must like carcinogen-soaked cow stomachs. And Cheez-It people, if you read this, I love you and will not believe the haters!

Anyway…if you’re a mother of twins, stock the car with snacks for you. You’re gonna need them!

What are your favorite on-the-go mom snacks?

Right now, I’m really digging doing baths like this.

If you have double sinks and Bumbo seats, give it a try! It’s also nice if you have a sprayer, but not necessary. This would also work just fine for a single baby too, of course, but it just seems to be especially helpful for me these days with two.

You’ll get your shirt a little wet lifting them out to get their behinds, but you save your back, not bending over the tub–it’s the trade-off. There’s always a trade-off, right?

I always have their towels, washcloths, diapers, lotion, and clothes all collected and ready for after the bath, too. That way they (hopefully) are less fussy afterward.

Any bathing tips for twins? Please share!