Four in Tow

This past weekend I had the opportunity to get all the kids out of the house for a birthday party. Hubby, unfortunately had other responsibilities so it was just me and the kiddos. Now with four kids age five and under, you might think it's a little crazy to go trekking across the city with them as the only adult. While it can be stressful, it beats being stuck inside the house all day, so I decided to go for it. There are several things to do to make going out with your kids an enjoyable time for everyone.

1. The Destination
Obviously I'm not going to want to take my kids to an event that is unsuitable - say, where they have to all sit quietly for a long time. We were headed to a kids birthday party, so I knew there would be lots to entertain the older kids. It was primarily for them that we went. There would be kids we knew for them to play with, and people to help with the twins.

2. Set Expectations
We had attended another birthday party at this same location about a year and a half ago. I had taken the kids by myself (obviously without the twins) and we'd had some issues with behavior and obedience. So this time I made sure to set the expectations of what we would do and how the kids were to behave while we were there. Combined with the fact that they are a little bit older and more mature, it helped to prepare them for going out.

3. Be Prepared
This means a fully stocked diaper bag; food for babies, snacks for older kids, changes of clothes for everyone, sippy cups and pacifiers, toys, blankets, bottles, etc. (See the next point for where to keep the mounds of baggage you need.) I knew we'd be parking on the street so I planned to arrive a little "early" - i.e., party is set to start at 2:00 and we arrived at 2:30 - basically the first guests apart from the family. This meant we were able to get a good parking spot close to their building. I would guess most of the guests arrived between 3:00 and 4:00. This is pretty typical for Brazil.

4. Use your stroller
While strollers are useful for carrying children (especially multiples), they offer more than just that and storage for all your stuff; the stroller becomes "home base". The older kids can easily find us when we're out. The stroller also helps keep us all together - when we cross the roads the older kids know to hold onto the sides of the stroller. They also discovered that they can ride on the sides of it. When momma says the train is pulling out, they hop right on. It's pretty hilarious (and heavy to push!), but helps when we need to get moving.

5. Stand Out
I learned this tip from an article about taking your kids to the beach. Dress them in brightly colored shirts so you can easily spot them from far away. I took this to the next level and also dressed in a bright shirt so they'd easily be able to spot me if they needed something. Here in Brazil it also helps to have blond haired kids as they're in the minority and easy to spot in a crowd.

6. Accept Help
One thing I have really noticed with twins is that people are much more willing to help. I had so many people offer to hold one of the twins while I nursed / bottle fed / changed the other. I met another mom of twins who could empathize with me. Also I can strike up a conversation with anyone on the basis of my babies. (Great for an introvert like me.) Some of the dads there pitched in as well - helping Lucas go on the monkey bars and watching Elena play.

All in all we had a great time; the kids basically slept all the way there and back in the car (about an hour and a half each way) and we all thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get out, play with friends, eat good food, celebrate and make connections with our church (and wider) community.

What other tips do you have for getting out with your gang?

Play of the Day

Alternately titled; "Who needs toys?"

Apart from one or two special items that my kids are really into, we actually don't get a lot of play out of our toys. It seems that kids can make a game out of anything, and if I can allow them to be occupied with other "things" and encourage their imagination and a bigger sense of "play" then I go for it. (As long as the mess is not too extravagant! See this bean experiment here...)

So for anyone wondering what my kids get up to when their toys just aren't hitting the spot, here are a few examples...

1. Let's use the chairs and stools to make a jail in the kitchen!

2. Mmmmm! Cinnamon and Sugar! Seriously, she was occupied with this little bowl for at least 20 minutes, and didn't even make too much of a mess. Nor did she eat all of it.

3. Oooh! Plastic containers! Admittedly this one didn't last long before he was into a "cooking" adventure involving juice, milk, flour, mustard, basil, nutmeg and parmesan.... I should have gotten a picture of that "cake" when it was done; Lucas and Elena actually tried eating it. Might have to guide the cooking a little more next time so it ends up somewhat edible.

4. Yay! Boxes to rearrange! 

5. Let's play TV! On the air, a special episode of the Backyardigans, for about 5 minutes before they rearranged everything into an obstacle course.  

Looking through these, it appears my kids spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Other things we do usually involve moving furniture in the living room to create "houses"or obstacle courses. Ok, who am I kidding, with four kids in our small-ish house and the baby paraphernalia, our house IS an obstacle course! 

What do your kids like to play with? 

Tips for a Twin Pregnancy

I know I'm only just over halfway through this pregnancy, and it's bound to get much harder in the last few weeks, but here are a few (only marginally serious) tips if you find yourself carrying twins...

1. Give up on the idea of 3 meals a day -
Especially in the first trimester when you're unlikely to be able to eat much of anything anyways. Just keep your crackers and water nearby to prevent / mitigate nausea.

Bonus - enjoy a few weeks of losing weight!

2. Eat as much as you can, whenever you can -
This means a spicy noodle bowl is totally acceptable at 10am or 10pm and yogurt and granola qualifies as a balanced lunch. I'm pretty sure after the first trimester your stomach has shrunken and migrated to a totally different place in your body. (Is this why we have a long intestine?) Also, get used to eating small, neat forkfuls; your 20 week belly means you're already sitting two feet away from your plate. (Otherwise invest in a serious bib or big napkin)

Bonus - you're learning how to stick to smaller serving sizes. Let's just not talk about the snacking habit you'll have to give up later if you want to return to a pre-baby body.

3. Don't get too comfortable -
It will make it that much harder to get up when you have to. I know you think that oversized comfy chair is going to feel so nice, but after ten minutes you'll need to shift position and all the wonderful cushioning around you is not going to help.

Bonus - think of this as training for when your kids won't let you sit still for two minutes. (If you already have kids, enlist them to help you get out.)

4. Keep moving -
This ties in to #3. Even standing still for 10 minutes will make you want to seek out a comfy chair, and we all know how that ends. Be prepared to turn over at least ten times a night to prevent unbearable hip/back pain. Install something / someone to help with this and the replacement of your mountain of pillows.

5. Stay close to the bathroom - 
Seriously, it's like I have the bladder control of a toddler. (Which actually works out pretty good in my case since I'm finishing up potty training my little girl - it's like having an internal 15 minute alarm. Every time I go, she goes too.)

6. Enjoy it!
- Think of it this way, it's like a BOGO sale that you didn't know you were getting (although I am very thankful to have found out very early in the pregnancy - 7 weeks)
- Looking pregnant from just about the moment of conception. No awkward "is she pregnant or just putting on weight?" stage.
- People always love it when they find out you are having twins. They say things like, "wow! double the fun" when what they really mean is, "I'm glad it's you and not me!"

And just for kicks, here are a few funny twin pregnancy shirts I've found online...

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Any other twin moms out there have some good tips for me?