'You've got your hands full'

Some great resources for families with twins, triplets or more

 

THIS is a cross-post from Ready for Ten, where I'm editor and where lots of marvellous bloggers write about life with kids aged six to nine.

We have a twice weekly 'best of the web' post and this week one of these has been about multiple birth families. I hope you find some of the links here useful and that you can check out the bloggers mentioned and perhaps add any details of who I've missed.

I also hope you can check out Ready for Ten in general as it's a lively fun site with some great writing from the likes of Deb, Rosie, Ellen, Liz, Joanne, lovely Jo, Ian, another lovely Jo, Tim, Maggie, Kath, Alice, Cathy, Keris, Camilla, Ursula, Jane and Jan.  

BBC Coventry and Warwickshire radio interview about twins

A FEW weeks back I was interviewed by Mark Powlett on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire about twins.

Our chat touched on the following among other things and I hope you enjoy it:

• A unique bond between twins
• Sibling rivalry
• Do you dress twins the same?
• Should they be in the same class at school?
• How does a twin pregnancy compare to a singleton one?
• My crap maths

I know I sound a bit "eccentric" which is of course a polite way of saying well, a bit strange, but then I always do on the radio. I don't care as I've got used to it!

Press on the button below to hear the interview.

Massive thanks to producer Kate for sending me the MP3.

Twins and secondary school

IN a few weeks' time, my daughters will start secondary school.

They are definitely in different classes and there's a chance they won't be in the same groups for subjects where pupils are streamed.

I like it that way.

At the introductory parents' evening, my girls' new teachers made encouraging noises about recognising that every child is an individual.

Did you know that according to experts, twins -- and triplets, quads and any "higher multiples" you care to mention for that matter -- are deserving of special consideration in the classroom?

So you think you know about twins?

 

THIS is the first guest post in a special week of multiple birth inspired topics. So it's a big welcome to Harriet from the much admired Is there a Plan B? blog which charts the trials and tribulations of shifting from being a London lawyer to a stay at home mum of three in Scotland.  

Her post made me laugh out loud. When I read about some of the questions she has been asked, it takes me back a bit. So, thank you very much Harriet and now it's over to her...

“Goodness, you’ve got your hands full!”
Thank you to Linda for hosting this week of multiple birth inspired posts and for her support of Tamba,

This is a post about about twins. And more precisely about the stuff everyone thinks they know about twins. 

And the stuff everyone says to mothers of twins (I’ve got A and S, who are eighteen months old and identical as well as 3-year-old L). 

And  about the stuff, that sometimes we wish they wouldn’t.

Twins, Triplets and More week 2010: Guest posts, blog tour and carnival

I SET up this blog to offer information and support for parents and carers of twins, triplets and more. Years on, people searching for help with post natal depression still find us and I'm touched that I can be of help.

I've also a longstanding association with Tamba, the Twins and Multiple Births Association, being a member and former magazine editor and PR helper.

That's why when the hardworking people at the charity got in touch to tell me about their annual awareness bid, Twins, Triplets & More week, and the fact that they want to publicise free help for multiple mums, I thought it would be great to spread the word.

It runs from Monday, June 28.

How my twins kept me awake at night, and top tips to stop it happening to you

I'M a sleep deprivation survivor.

This bold statement is in response to Josie at Sleep is for the Weak .

She's asking for news of light at the end of the tunnel - examples of parents who feared they may never again get a good night's kip but have been proved wrong.

That's the good news.

The bad news is it took me years. And in my case, it was more by accident than design.

I'M a sleep deprivation survivor.

This bold statement is in response to Josie at Sleep is for the Weak .

She's asking for news of light at the end of the tunnel - examples of parents who feared they may never again get a good night's kip but have been proved wrong.

That's the good news.

The bad news is it took me years. And in my case, it was more by accident than design.

Tagged by Littlemummy.com and Dulwich Divorcee: Some stuff about me

Erica and Alice have passed the baton on this one, so here goes...

1. What are your current obsessions?

As ever lots of things. Family and work, work and family. That's about it really. Blog wise, I'm still reeling from our Disney experience, and am blown away by the work of Camilla Chafer and Keris Stainton so far on our new travel blog, Havealovelytime.com.

2. Which item of clothes do you wear most often?

Just anything black, black and more black. If you want to know why, look here.

Twins sought for pain study in California

SRI Internationalin Menlo Park, Calif., is looking for twins to participate in a study of a pain-relief medication called alfentanil. The three-year study is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

also blogs at Deep Muck Big Rake. Write her at becky_handsfull@yahoo.com.

Were you born to par-tay? Twins research says you might have been...

TWINS often unlock the secrets of modern society, thanks to the unique opportunities they offer to researchers in comparing 'nature and nurture.'

Now, academics at Harvard University say the differences between identical and non-identical twins in a study have allowed them to determine whether our genes are responsible for us, as the Guardian puts it, being able to organise a p*ss up in a brewery.

Related post: How twins cope with diabetes and have helped drive research towards a treatment and cure.

Twins research grows: But why?

EVER wondered why so many experiments seem to involve twins? This piece has a good explanation...it's often all about 'nature versus nurture,' apparently.

Tamba publishes regular updates on research, with some findings being much more useful than others, of course.