Silly Monkey Stories: Subconscious Sibling Rivalry

After being a parent for over 9 years, it still never ceases to amaze me how children have a talent for making the simplest thing into something very complicated.  Take toast for instance.  What could be simpler than plain white toast with a little butter on it?

Over the weekend, I started off offering our 6 year old twins toast for breakfast.  Then Luke asked for cinnamon toast.  I offered butter with a little sugar sprinkled on it instead.  That seemed to please both him and Makenzie.  Still a very simple breakfast.

Then things get a little more complicated and I do think it was due to the twins' subconscious need to either top each other to be different from each other.  I still haven't figured out which.  Luke asked for his toast not to be cut in half at all.  Then Makenzie asked for her two slices of toast to be cut diagonally.  Then Luke changed his mind and said he wanted one slice cut diagonally and one slice to remain whole.

I knew I had better prepare their toast quickly before they changed their minds again and asked me to do something like cut their toast into the likeness of SpongeBob.  I'm just not that talented.

Click here to read all our Silly Monkey Stories!

My Photos: The Birthday Boy and Girl

Last week, our twins Luke and Makenzie turned 6 years old.  It was a school day (and a school night), so we just had a quiet dinner at home.  The twins had their favorite food . . . mac and cheese.  After dinner, they opened their gifts from some relatives, their big brother, me and my husband, and from each other.  It is so sweet to watch the children exchange gifts.  The are always so proud to present their handmade cards and so very excited for the gift they picked out to be opened.  They actually know each other better than anyone and they always put so much thought into what the perfect gift would be for each other.


Here are some photos from their gift exchange this year . . . 

Click here to view all my past favorite photos.

November 17th is Preemie Awareness Day!

The photo above was taken nearly three years ago when our twins were almost 3 years old.  This coming January, they will be turning six.  I remember taking this photo and thinking how quickly the first three years had gone by and now I am amazed at how quickly the next 3 years have flown by.  Looking at them now, it is difficult to believe that our two kindergartners were born 9-1/2 weeks early.

Saturday, November 17th, is Preemie Awareness Day or World Prematurity Day.  With the increasing number of twins and other multiple births, RSV awareness (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) in regards to preemies is of growing importance.  In fact, 13 million babies are born premature around the world each year.  I have to admit that I knew little about RSV Protection until our twins spent 2-1/2 weeks in the NICU and then another 3 weeks in the Special Care Nursery during the months of January and February, which fall into the time labeled as "RSV season."

I had learned from the nurses in the NICU that there is no cure for RSV, which causes up to 10 times more infant deaths than the flu.  That is why we did not mind taking extra precautions to keep our preemies safe.  We always scrubbed and sanitized our hands and forearms thoroughly before going near our twins or anything that they may touch.  When my husband felt like his throat was scratchy, he refrained from visiting the twins in the NICU for 3 or 4 days until he was sure he was not sick.  He did this with their best interest in mind even though he missed them terribly.  Another preventative measure is to not allow anyone to smoke near your baby, which is something we would have done whether the twins were born early or not.

(Click on graphic to enlarge)

Being educated about RSV and taking all the necessary precautions were completely worth it.  We have beautiful healthy boy-girl twins who will be turning 6 soon.

To learn more about RSV prevention, visit RSVPrevention.com and talk to your pediatrician.


I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Learn More About RSV Protection for Preemies

While I was pregnant with our now nearly 5 year old twins, I thought there could not be anything more stressful than my body growing twice as big and twice a quickly as with my previous pregnancy.  Then at around 29-1/2 weeks along, I was in the hospital on bed rest trying to keep the twins safe inside me for as long as possible.  I was positive that those few days were the most nerve-wracking worrisome ones of my life, since even just one more day in the womb would increase their chances of being born without serious complications.

After the twins were born 9-1/2 weeks early, that was when I knew the true meaning of the word stressful.  They spent 5 weeks in the NICU and a special care nursery.  For those 5 weeks we were worried daily that a complication would arise or that they just would not thrive.  We were so lucky that they did not suffer from any unusual complications and were, according to the doctors, "text-book preemies".  Here they are at just 2 days old . . .

What made the time after the twins were born so stressful was that my husband and I had to be super-careful about bringing anything harmful into the NICU.  We wore coverings over our clothes and scrubbed our hands thoroughly to help prevent Respiratory Syncytial Virus or RSV, which preemies are especially susceptible to because of their underdeveloped lungs.  There was even a period of several days when my husband could not visit our newborn twins in the NICU because we suspected he may have been coming down with a cold.

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According to RSVProtection.com, the best way to protect your baby from RSV is to wash your hands very thoroughly before touching him or her.  This goes for anyone who will be touching your baby.  In fact, when my own parents came to visit our twins in the NICU, we asked that they please not touch them even though they had taken all the precautions of washing their hands and covering their clothes.  I firmly believe you cannot worry about offending people when it comes to protecting your children.  It is also important to keep your preemie in your smoke-free home and away from crowds, other children, and anyone who may be sick.  Regular cleaning of your baby's clothing, toys, and crib linens is also very important.

To learn more about RSV in infants, visit www.rsvprotection.com.


I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Silly Monkey Stories: Can't Argue With a Preschooler's Logic

Last week, all the students in our daughter's dance class were invited to come to class wearing their Halloween costumes.  Makenzie was dressed as Little Bo Peep minus the hat and oversized crook.  Her twin brother Luke did not want to be left out, so he wore his Darth Vader mask.  His Halloween costume was actually Iron Man, but he wanted to save it for Halloween night.

Every week at dance class, Luke stays with me in the waiting area.  He usually brings some toys, but mainly he likes interacting with the other siblings who are also waiting for their sisters.  There is one particular mom at dance class who is always nice to Luke.

Last week, this mom commented about how Makenzie is always smiling no matter what she is doing.  Then she asked Luke whether Makenzie ever cries at home or ever yells.  He told her yes, of course.  Then she asked him if Makenzie ever talked back to her mommy.  To this he answered . . .

. . . "NO!  She can't talk back to MumMum because Kenzie doesn't have a phone!!"

How could the woman argue with that?  She just looked at me and we both started laughing.  Then she told Luke what a smart boy he was.

Click here to learn how to participate in Silly Monkey Stories.

Click here to read all my Silly Monkey Stories!

If you have a Silly Monkey Story to share, sign Mr. Linky below with the link to your blog post (not the link to your main blog page). Please do not forget to visit the other participants and leave them comments to let them know you stopped by!

Struggling With One Twin Learning More Quickly Than the Other

As you can tell, I very much enjoy coming up with fun learning activities for my children.  I started doing this with my oldest son when he was just a toddler and we both loved it.  He is a quick learner and thrived on mastering things through both creative and traditional learning techniques.  I tried to continue the same method of teaching with our now 4.5 year old twins.  Then I hit a road block that I was not expecting . . .

It turns out that our daughter is much like her older brother.  She loves to do learning activities and picks things up very quickly.  I often only have to show her things once.  Her twin brother, however, does not pick up things very easily at all.  He is reluctant to try anything that is challenging and it has only been recently that I have figured out that I can give each twin different activities to work on without his feeling inferior.  I also had to implement a reward system in order for him to not outright have a meltdown when I mention that it is time for learning activities.

I often question if I am cut out to teach our youngest son.  He needs lots of extra attention and patience.  If I am struggling with just teaching him basic skills now, how will I be able to help him when he gets older?  I worry that he will be even more resistant to my methods.  I never imagined that I would need to look into private tutoring for my children, but it may come to that.  I wonder if he would respond better to an authority figure other than myself.

I know our son is young and everyone, including his preschool teachers, have told me that it does not matter at this age.  Still, I feel like I am failing him somehow . . .

Silly Monkey Stories: Father's Day Photos

I actually took 189 photos on Father's Day.  Below are a few of the twins and their Dad that remind me where our three silly little monkeys get their silliness.  You know what they say . . . "The monkey doesn't fall far from the banana tree" or something like that.

On Father's Day evening, we went to an Italian restaurant to dine with my parents, my sister and BIL, and my aunt and uncle.  Look for more Father's Day photos to come on my personal Facebook page and in next Sunday's Weekly Winners photo meme.

Click here to learn how to participate in Silly Monkey Stories.

Click here to read all my Silly Monkey Stories!

If you have a Silly Monkey Story to share, sign Mr. Linky below with the link to your blog post (not the link to your main blog page). Please do not forget to visit the other participants and leave them comments to let them know you stopped by!

How To Complete the Last Stage of Potty Training for a Boy

Our twin preschoolers just turned four last week.  They are both completely potty trained now, but they only just completed the last stage of potty training recently, which was wearing underpants 24/7, including during nighttime and nap times.  Our son was pretty much 100% potty trained, but he would not give up his Pull-Ups training pants when he went to preschool or when he went to sleep.  We tried to gently nudge him in that direction, but he just refused.

One day, when we ran out of disposable training pants, I had the idea for us to buy only Pull-Ups for girls, rather than a package of the boy's as well.  When it came time to get ready for bed that night, we made our move.  After his bath, we handed him a Princess Pull-Up.  He immediately protested.  So we gave him a choice to either wear the Princess Pull-Up training pants or to wear a pair of underpants.  He opted for the underpants and the rest is history.

Of course, this technique may not work for all boys.  In spite of my efforts to not impose gender stereotypes on our children, they have formed their own opinions about what should be for boys and what should be for girls.  I know our daughter has had no qualms about wearing Cars Movie Pull-Ups in the past.  Incidentally, once her twin brother switched to underpants full time, she wanted to make the switch as well.

If you try this, I would love to hear if it works for you too.

My Photos (W/E 1-22-11)

Given my track record, you probably will not be surprised to learn that we took nearly 350 photos yesterday between the twins' birthday party and their opening their gifts that evening.  I still have yet to sort through them all, but I did pull a few of them opening their gifts that stood out to me after my first quick look-through . . .

"Cool Beans!"

"Teamwork"

"Larger Than Life"

"The Joy of Giving"

"Best Kind of Thank You"

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus a.k.a. Sarcastic Mom.

Holiday 2010 Review: Lazoo Children's Clothing & Activity Books

TWINtuitive Product #31

I chose these Lazoo children's shirts to feature as a "TWINtuitive Product" because the designs on these layered long-sleeve t-shirts are bold, colorful, and allow both boys and girls to express their personality. I love to dress our twins similarly, but not identically. Whether you have same sex twins or boy-girl twins like me, I think you will have fun dressing your pair in Lazoo clothing.

Both our shirts were machine washed inside-out and dried on low heat. We had no problems with any of the embellishments coming off on my daughter's shirt, nor was there any pilling, fading, or shrinking. As of November 2010, Lazoo clothing for children is sold exclusively in Babies"R"Us stores in sizes 6 month to 4T.

Lazoo also offers equally as fun and colorful children's activity books. We were sent Squiggles! and Incredible Stickers! Originally I gave the Squiggles! book to my nearly 4 year old daughter because she is an incredible artist and just loves to draw. In the end, she ended up wanting to share the Incredible Stickers! book with her twin brother, which worked out just fine.

The Lazoo Incredible Stickers! Activity Book has such a brilliant concept behind it. It takes everyday foods and shows them larger than life, helping your child to see them differently. For example, my son's page showed a cabbage leaf, which has arteries that can be envisioned as interconnecting and parallel streets.

My daughter's page was the top of a whole watermelon, which resembled an island. There are several pages of stickers towards the back of the book. Each section of stickers is color-coded and numbered so that it is easy to know which page in the book they go with. This book retails for $7.95 and is worth every penny in my opinion. When the twins are done with all the pages, they will have created a very fun book together.

Lazoo books can be purchased on the Lazoo website, as well as on Amazon.com and at Borders Books.

Thank you to Lazoo for sending us complimentary product samples to base this review upon.