Advise from a Mother of Irish Twins (well almost)!

Aren't they cute!

I recently found a blog post from a mother of Irish Twins, she is giving her tips since she failed to find any good advise when searching on the Internet.  While I found her advise useful, humorous, and for the most part fairly accurate, I felt the need to dispense my advise as well.  So here are my 10 tips for moms like me.

1. Make a List - Everyday make a list of what you need to accomplish in that day.  Some of my items include; laundry, vacuum, make dinner, take a shower, check email, etc.  Now the most important thing about this list is YOU WILL NOT GET TO CROSS EVERYTHING OFF!  Someone recently told me if you accomplish one thing then that day is a success, she is also the mother of Irish Twins (real ones)!

2. Baby Cages - Also known as pack'n'plays.  They serve many purposes (1) keeping Ollie safe from Liam hitting him on the head and (2) punishing Liam when he hits Ollie on the head.  Yes I see the irony in this statement.

3.  Baby Gates - I use an extra baby gate to corral Liam in one area while I feed Ollie, or need to take a power nap in the middle of the day.  If only I could remember to use it, I should put it on my list!

4. Frozen Meals - This doesn't include Stouffers at my house.  Before the arrival of Ollie I made some frozen meals, while my mom was visiting she made frozen meals.  Needless to say the most work I do for dinner is turn on the oven or boil water, at least until my stash runs out.

5. Enjoy Alone Time - There is a small window of time during the day when the house is quiet, the boys are napping.  Sometime this is 1 hour sometimes it is 10 minutes, regardless use it to its full potential.  If you call during this time I will NOT answer, sorry.  This time is good for such things as; taking a shower, updating my blog, surfing the Internet and pinning (who needs Facebook when you have Pinterest).

6. Two Hands, I've Got Six - You will learn very quickly how to do everything with only one hand.  You see Ollie always needs to eat when Liam or I need to do something else.  Therefore I have learned the fine art of doing anything and everything while feeding Ollie.  If you stop by in the middle of the day ... say, around Liam's lunch time you will get "dinner and a show".

7. It Can Wait - This relates to tip number one.  I have come to terms with the saying "it can wait until tomorrow" and most often this is true.   The pile of laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom all of this can wait.  Taking a shower, feeding Ollie, well it can't waiting.

8.  Yes This Is Dinner/Lunch/Breakfast - Goldfish, cheese, bananas and milk count of dinner. It contains a grain, veggie/fruit and protein.  While Liam's tray resembles a paint card for some sort of baige it counts, hey it is still better then a lot of other options. On days like this I usually have the same thing but replace milk with wine.

9. Shoes - Now that Liam has truly mastered the skill of walking he has started to wear shoes and walks outside with me.  I am not strong enough nor to I have enough time for daily visits to the the Chiropractor to fix my messed up back because I was carrying a 22 lbs. child on one side and a 9 lbs. baby in a 15 lbs. carseat on the other side.  Our bodies are not designed for that, don't try!

10. It Will Be Different - This is my key phrase for the future.  I have come to realize, this I learned with Liam, that once you get used to one phase it changes.  So know when I talk about life in a few months, a year, a few years - I always say, "it won't necessarily be easier it will be a different kind of hard."

Disclaimer: If you are thinking of trying to be a mother of Irish Twins, please come spend an hour with me...or a morning or a day, depending on your level of crazy!  I will enjoy the company of an adult and extra diapers are in the top cabinet (that should be tip #11 stock up on diapers).