'You've got your hands full'

Got twins? Let's quit apologising!

LAST week as I sipped a cappuccino in a seaside cafe while the rest of my family tucked into cream teas, there was quite a spectacle going on.

At least the staff and other customers appeared to think so.

On another table a new mum and dad of twins were attempting to also savour coffee and cake while their babies slept.

Instead they were answering questions about their cute bundles who remained oblivious to the fuss.

We've all been there.

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?

Multiple mayhem -- a carnival of posts about twins and more

PHEW. Thank you so much for all your support of this special week on You've Got Your Hands Full which has reminded me why I set this blog up in the first place and put me in touch with some fabulous blogs, some already familiar, others new to me.

If you can say one thing that unites all parents of multiples, well it's that they're busy.

Forgive me for stating the obvious. So I didn't know what to expect with my planned carnival. I've ended up with a dozen or so entries and so I'm delighted.

In all honesty this was very short notice so if anyone wants to make this a more regular feature, with us taking turns to host a monthly carnival, then please shout up and we can kick off an on-going Multiples Mayhem carnival?

The guest posts this week and the carnival entries have made me laugh and made me cry. I hope our small but perfectly formed carnival informs and entertains. 

Two is a magic number by Four down, mum to go

HERE's a guest post from the wonderful blogger Fourdownmumtogo, who previously shared this wisdom on her own site. if you haven't yet discovered this blog, I hope you can check it out as it's one of the best out there.

THIS week is Twins, Triplets and More week. The idea is to raise awareness about the challenges that can face the parents of twins or more. This is a laudable aim, but I think that perhaps one of the best ways to get parents ready for twins is to bolster them up with some of the good news about having two at once.

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.

Twin Tuesday: Coping with tantrums

HOW do you cope with tantrums? It's a hard enough question when faced with the prospect of one bawling toddler, let alone two.

Lisa Burn recently wrote about tantrums on Sofeminine.co.uk and what a refreshing change it was to see the views of some twin mums included as a matter of course in a parenting article.

This comes hot on the heels of Joanne's fab advice on Parentdish.

She reports:

For Karen, splitting up her twins soon as a tantrum starts, helps diffuse the situation. ‘They certainly make each other worse if left together,’ she reveals. ‘We have to remain firm, give them time to calm down and then explain we will not have that behaviour in our home.'

Lisa also kindly included some input from me in the piece.

Here's what I had to say on the subject:

Advice for mum whose twins have tantrums when people peer into pushchair (as featured on Parentdish)

WHAT would you tell a mum upset that her 22-month old boys were having a "tantrum" when passers-by stopped to have a good look at them in their pushchair?

This was the dilemma Parentdish agony aunt Joanne Mallon tackled today - and she asked my opinion too.

Here's what I said:  

It's such a shame that you are letting other people's curiosity put you off getting out and about, your boys obviously don't like being the centre of attention, and who can blame them?

(Photo by sdemory on flickr)

Twin Tuesday: Jedward are just the latest twins to rock the X Factor!

2009:

Twins and more on a Tuesday: Post natal depression

 

Twins can be a gorgeous blessing but bring extra demands for the parents.

JENNIFER at Twinhappy has a Twin Tuesday event where she wishes multiple birth families, wherever they may be, a wonderful day.

Last Tuesday I recapped about sleep problems with my twins for Josie.

Josie's Sleep Deprivation Carnival had a wonderful response, with lots of experiences and advice shared.

This week, for Twin Tuesday, I hoped it may be useful to dig out one of the most popular posts from this blog, about post natal depression and how, not surprisingly mums coping with more than one baby at once can be more susceptible.

Miranda's story has attracted some very supportive comments and emails. There's still a need for it to be heard as Google continues to send people looking for relevant information our way.