Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The obligatory "100 things"

In keeping with bloggy tradition here is my “100 Things About Me” list. It might explain some of the stuff you read here every once in a while.

Might.

(No promises.)

1. I’m from a small town in Northern California.
2. I am the youngest of two.
3. My family had a red VW bus.
4. We went camping a lot.
5. And traveled Europe.
6. Also in a VW van.
7. I’m a Gemini.
8. My favorite color is red.
9. My nickname in Jr. High was “Hollywood.”
10. In 8th grade I was voted “Most Likely To Be A Solid Gold Dancer.”
11. I was proud of this honor.
12. I’ve always been very social.
13. I went to nine proms.
14. I *did not* put out.
15. I kept all the corsages.
16. I never took the SAT.
17. I was very good at soccer but chose dance instead.
18. I was a cheerleader.
19. I sang in a band.
20. We called ourselves, “Rapid Fire!”
21. We weren’t very good.
22. But we did awesome Pat Benatar covers.
23. I was the only freshman in the high school talent show.
24. My first rock concert was the B-52’s.
25. I broke my toe while slam dancing to “Rock Lobster.”
26. It was totally worth it.
27. My high school drama teacher told me that I didn’t have any talent.
28. I sent her a thank you note after I got accepted to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.
29. My nickname in college was “Gidget.”
30. I lived near the beach and went nearly every day.
31. We used to bring kegs home on my skateboard.
32. I once fell asleep while riding my bike to work.
33. I worked at a coffeehouse in college and had to bake muffins at 5 a.m.
34. I think I was still drunk.
35. I fell out of a two-story window.
36. And only received 5 stitches.
37. I think I was still drunk.
38. I was on “The Dating Game.”
39. I won.
40. The prize was a trip to Xtapa, Mexico.
41. I went on the trip but ditched the date and stayed for 3 weeks.
42. I attended the Academy Awards in 1986.
43. Bette Davis was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Oscar that same year.
44. Bette Davis is my all-time, hands-down favorite actress.
45. I own Bette Davis’ brass headboard.
46. I bought it at her estate auction while living in NYC.
47. My roommate and I brought it home on the subway.
48. After that purchase I ate Top Ramen and beans for nearly a month.
49. I once passed out from dehydration while in the middle of a play.
50. I was playing Cinderella.
51. I got a standing ovation.
52. I have tattoos.
53. One of them is on top of the other.
54. I had a pierced nose.
55. And a pierced belly button.
56. I’ve had many jobs.
57. I used to sell digital printing services.
58. And manage an eclectic restaurant.
59. And run a flower stand.
60. And for a little bit I sold beach glass jewelry at craft fairs.
61. And I had a great run as an actress.

62. I got my first acting job when I was 9.
63. My longest career has been in public relations.
64. I’ve done that for 13 years.
65. I worked for the agency that launched the iMac, Yahoo! and Pixar during the dot com heyday.
66. It was awesome.
67. We didn’t know that we were making history.
68. I married my husband nearly 11 years after we first met.
69. His nickname back then was “Malibu.”
70. We call him “Danger Dad” now.
71. We met while I was performing in a show in Galveston, TX.
72. He was my boss.
73. He had no idea what he was getting in to.
74. *I* had no idea what I was getting in to.
75. We took a 4 year break.
76. It was fun but I missed him.
77. We got married less than one year after we started dating again.
78. We’ve been married for 9 years.
79. Some people say that we look alike.
80. I used to climb rocks. Big rocks.
81. I’ve climbed in the ‘Gunks, all over Northern and Southern California, Texas and many places in between.
82. We have a climbing wall in our basement.
83. I’m a self-professed Foodie even though I hate the word “Foodie.”
84. I’m a recipe tester for Cook’s Illustrated magazine.
85. We spent two weeks with Tony Robbins in Hawaii. THAT Tony Robbins.
86. He’s a giant weirdo.
87. I’ve spent some time with BB King on his tour bus.
88. He’s awesome.
89. I read the obits every Wed.-Sun.

90. I do a crossword every day.
91. I always knew that I would have twins.
92. My grandmother is a twin.
93. My maternal grandmother has twin brothers.
94. My cousin has triplets.
95. My nephews are twins.
96. I am surrounded by twins.
97. I co-founded the Parents of Multiples Club in my city.
98. We have about 130 paid families with at least 2 new families joining every week.
99. I tandem breast-fed my twins.
100. It was a freak show.

101. But totally worth it.
102. I worry about being a good mom.
103. I’m just now realizing that there are way more than 100 things to list so I’m going to list 110 things.

104. I thought I would have at least five children.
105. I want my children to have an awesome childhood.
105. And overall awesome *life.*

106. I am certain that I could kill someone with my bare hands if they ever laid a finger on either of my children.
107. I hope to be my children's friend some day.
108. I really love being a mom. It's magic.
109. It's the hardest thing I have EVER done.
110. I want to make a difference. (That's kind a trite way to end this but it's true.)

What are your 100 things... (or maybe your Top Ten...?)

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Hacks R Us

I have a million simple parenting tips (or hacks) that make our twin life a little easier. It's not that I'm super clever or smart. It's called "survival." (Mothers are the necessity of invention, right?)

How to get your kids to wear band-aids? I've got the answer.

How to carry that basket at Target and push a double-stroller? We know how to do that too.

Yesterday I finally compiled one of our recent tips/hacks and sent it into Parent Hacks.com for consideration.

Stay tuned. :)

And just in case they don't post it, here 'tis:

How to distract kids after bath so you can dry and comb their hair, etc. *and* get their teeth brushed at the same time!

My 2.5-year old twin monkeys, er, kiddos are rarin’ to go after bath time and it’s almost impossible to corral them so we can dry them off, comb out their wet, tangled hair and also get teeth brushed. The solution? After removing/extracting them from the tub we wrap them in towels and sit them on the edge of the bathroom sink, feet first. We immediately give them one of our toothbrushes and a small cup with a little water and let ‘em have at it! They LOVE brushing their teeth with Mama and Papa's toothbrush and we can dry and comb their hair (and just about anything else) while they brush away. We’ve been doing this for weeks now and the ruse still works. Double-duty!

Proof:


(Please note that the monkeys aren't hanging from chandeliers.)

Chalk one up for the parents. :)

p.s. Note the glass of red wine in the lower right of the frame. That's probably my all-time fave hack.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Common Thread

One absolute common thread I see in all twin moms: They are do-ers.

And they’re almost always over-achievers.

Big-time over-achievers.

Like “volunteer-for-every-committee-in-the-neighborhood” kind of over-achievers. And “it-doesn’t-exist-and-I-need-it-so-I’ll-create-it” over-achievers. But mostly “just-because-I-have-twins-it’s-not-going-to-slow-me-down” kind of over-achievers.

We get it done.

This seems universal. I have yet to meet a twin mom, and I know a TON of twin moms, that doesn't fit this bill.

Yes, we are overwhelmed and tired and wondering and doubting and hoping that we’re doing it all right but it seems that the one, big truth with twin moms is that we’re incredibly capable in one form or another.

Are we over-achievers and capable because we are twin parents? Or has being a twin mom brought that out in us? (Which can happen in a very Hulk-like fashion... but in a good way.)

I think that somehow having twins lifts you up and enables you to do things that you never thought possible. At least that’s how it is for me. I was always a do-er but after having twins it seems I clicked into overdrive. An overdrive that is mostly exhausting but always, always a good thing. Sometimes I can’t believe the fullness of my days. It’s amazing. And I hear the same things from other twin mamas.

We need to celebrate this.

I’m not always successful. Ha. Not even close. But I try. I try hard. And I’m incredibly motivated to stay on track and keep achieving, especially since it’s a good model for S & J.

Can we have it all? Not sure about that yet… But we keep achieving and striving and doing. And living very full twin-dom lives.

It’s awesome.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Terrified

(I am almost certain that I will lose some readers with this post.)

I am terrified that:

…some will vote along color lines. And use color as their only deciding factor.

…people are voting with their emotions instead of their brains.

… some Americans are more concerned with “making history” than making a good decision for the country.

… most are cutting off their noses to spite their face.

… some Americans are so fed up with the Republican party that they will choose the opposite candidate just to make a point.

…most don’t know the issues, won’t find out the facts and are choosing not to listen to all sides because it’s not the popular thing to do.

…people have shut down. And are becoming sheep.

…most don’t even know what “change” means.

…most are afraid to speak up.

…a person that doesn’t value human life will get elected.

…feminists refuse to applaud or even recognize a woman that was made from a mold that they created and fought for. (Self-made, educated person from middle-class family that has a long-term marriage, mom to 5 [including one with special needs] who has kept her sense of humor and looks… Capable, smart and willing to serve… I don’t get it…)

…that the vitriolic and hateful comments that are being slung these days are going to continue for some time. Maybe four more years.

...peace, love and understanding will become things of the past.

(Stepping off soap box now.)

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Bunny Balloon Love

Red balloon = unbridled happiness.

Halloween came a little early this year. I believe that J may choose to wear the pink bunny costume (sans ears, of course) until maybe Christmas.

Fine by me.











Seriously, is there anything better than this?!?


Maybe this:





Fireman Sam and Pink Bunny's Excellent Adventures circa 2008...

Monday, October 20, 2008

Better than being ignored, I guess...

I ripped this off from my cousin, who ripped it off from her fave blog.

It's that good.

And perfectly depicts our daily household happenings.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Alone Together

Reason #443 that (according to the experts) I’m a bad parent:

I don’t have a lot of one-on-one time with S & J.

I try my darndest but with twins it’s extra hard. And my lack of time management or priorities or problem-solving or whatever stops me up and I’m lucky if I have 30 minutes a week of “just you” time with each kid.

Experts say that spending time one-on-one with twins will foster a sense of true identity (for the kid, not me) and insure that they know that they “matter.” That they’re just not one of a pair, but an individual. Experts say this is VITAL. And some suggest putting one of your twins in day care just so you can find time to spend one-on-one with the other twin.

Huh.

Really? Is so important that you should pay to send one of your children away?

Here’s the thing: I hang out with my kids all day and like to think that I know them pretty well. Aside from the few hours a week that I have a mommy’s helper so I can hit deadlines and have a conference call or two I’m full-on hands-on. 12 hours a day. And I don't believe that they’re suffering. Or less individualistic. In fact, they couldn’t be more different.

S is sweet and cautious. He is content to play alone or in a group. In playgroup settings he’ll watch the action at first and engage when others ask him to play. He’s not the instigator. He learned the ABC song in less than a week and loves all things having to do with construction and building. (“What do you want to be for Halloween?” “AN EXCAVATOR!”) We affectionately call him Funky Buns, Belly Boy and Sammo.

J is bold – she loves noise and color and action and people. She always has. She needs about .2 seconds of warm-up time with a new person than she’s crawling up in their lap, reading stories, engaging them in play… She is vocal and loud and full of sparkly, good energy. Her nicknames have included Aggro-Pixie and Little Lady Ka-Boom!

Sure. Spending one-on-one time with a parent is much more that creating a truer sense of self. It let’s them have undivided attention, which is a real gift, especially if you are clambering for the attention of a busy parent.

But us twin parent folks shouldn’t beat ourselves up if the one-on-one time is limited. Our children only suffer if we don’t love them or if we treat them like they aren't loved. I don’t know one single parent of multiples that doesn't absolutely smother their kids with love and affection. And attention. Even if that only happens when the kiddos are together.

The net-net is that all parents do the best they can with the tools that they have. I think it's a massive gift - for both parents and children - to have a two-fer situation.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Depot vs. Disney

I beg to disagree with you, Mr. Disney. Home Depot is the Happiest Place on Earth.







Of course now I have to figure out how to create backhoe costumes for Halloween...