Another year, another “where did the time go? The year was just starting like… yesterday?” With twins, or multiples in general (whether by one birth or more), that year can seem even quicker than ever before. So I just wanted to give a few tips and tricks on how to slow down the time, even when you have 4 (or more!) little hands trying to pull you along ever faster.
Below I will talk about a few tips that I have come up that I will personally try to do next year, 2016, with my own twins. Let me know what you think after you’ve read them all!
Sing that silly song
Singing may not seem a lot to you, but it sure does to your little ones. They love it when I sing a silly song with them. The giggles, the laughs, those are what make a silly song amazing. You don’t even have to sing an actual silly song, made up on the spot ones work just as well. Tongue twisters are also good to do, although your little ones might have a little bit of a hard time with it. When I do the flea, the fly and the flew, my twins crack up. Of course it helps that I’m making silly faces and concentrating trying to get it right, but I would suggest taking the time to do something silly daily if you can, it makes the day so much fun! For those who don’t know, this is the tongue twister that I like to say: “A flea, a fly, and a flew. They were in prison so what could they do? Said the flea “let us fly!,” said the fly “let us flea!,” so they flew through a slot in the flew!“
Read a bed time story
Bed time stories are crucial. I know that on the days that I don’t read a bed time story to my twins, they definitely have a lot harder time getting to sleep. Now, with twins, or even more, juggling the little bodies on your lap while still trying to read a story can be a little daunting. Don’t give up! It is possible, it just takes a lot, and a lot more still, practice. Try to mix up the stories, don’t read the same one every night if you can. There will most likely be favorites, but if you mix it up not only do you keep their attention because they want to know what is going to happen next, but you also are helping to increase their vocabulary. Something I know I enjoyed when I was little, that I soon will start incorporating into my everyday (or every night) bed time routine is doing made up stories. This is also my guide to myself, so, I just wanted to put that out there. Made up stories were amazing, when I helped my mom make up stories princesses would rescue dragons, there was a never ending supply of kittens, or a little girl who resembled me would go on all kinds of adventures. Made up stories mean the most to kids, or at least they did to me. They have an extremely personal feel to them, and your kids will appreciate your efforts to give them a made up bed time story.
Go on walks everyday
I don’t know what it is, but going on walks with my twins is extremely calming. They get happy, they love the movement and air, and I get some exercise. I love listening to their chatter as we walk. Right now, we aren’t walking, I’m walking and pushing a stroller, but that helps me get my exercise. Bonding over exercise, and getting some controlled exercise, are a wonderful thing to add to your daily routine if you can. It certainly has helped me to feel closer to my twins, and my goal for the next year is to take walks everyday (weather permitting).
Spend one-on-one time with each kid
Twins definitely need some one-on-one time. There are a lot of things I do with both of them, but there are times when they definitely need some individual attention. No, I’m not meaning during changing time, changing one at a time (although that is definitely recommended!). I’m talking about, mommy spending some time with one while daddy spends the time with the other. Most children get at least a bit of individual attention from their parents since they’re the only one born at the time, but with twins, they’re sharing things from the get-go. So it is crucial to give the twins some bonding time by themselves with you, I know my twins definitely enjoy the one-on-one sessions!
Go visit grandparents
Grandparents aren’t getting any younger, so make the most of time with them. I know whenever we visit my parents, everyone is happy to see each other. And we only live 10 minutes away! Time with relatives is extremely precious, and I have seen this first hand whenever we visit my in-laws. Incorporate grandparents into memory building activities, such as the reading of the bed time story, or pictures, or even have them craft up their own e-mail.
Take pictures
Pictures are so crucial. You blink and they’re already having another birthday. Where did the time go? With pictures, you won’t get everything, but you will get a lot of what happened in life capture. Paired with my suggestion of doing a weekly e-mail (see below), do a weekly picture. One of each twin or multiple, one of them together, and one of the family. That helps build a solid relationship and lets them see how they have grown throughout the years. I know I am always fascinated by those parents who take a picture of their kid every day, and next year, I plan on stepping up to that plate! Let me know if you’re joining me in on this!
Do a weekly e-mail
This is something I saw a while back somewhere but can’t remember where. If you do a weekly e-mail, or more if something extraordinary happens, then years later you can look back and see what exactly you did. Add pictures, do something funky with them. You can treat it like a journal, or you can do more of a recap. Get your kids involved though, have them help you write stuff down, throughout the week make a list of what you want to write about. Pictures and text, especially ones that you’ve made, can bring back memories and other things quicker than you would think. This would also be good to send to them so they can see it in the future, see all the fun that they had when they were little.
Make some arts and crafts
It really is silly, how making arts and crafts together can impact someone, even years later. The pride that they feel that their art was on the fridge, or the sense of accomplishment? Those things are so easy to give to your kids, just by acknowledging that they did a good job. You also get that warm fuzzy feeling seeing them have such a fun time (and who’s to say parents can’t have fun doing arts and crafts too?). Painting, drawing, pipe cleaners or popsicle sticks, the fun can be endless. See what you can find around the house to make into an art project, that box from Amazon makes an amazing fortress and those rolls of toilet paper once they’re used make amazing lightsabers. The sky is honestly the limit to the crafts you can make.
I guess, looking up at my tips, that I’m not so much giving tips on how slow down time, but to enjoy it. Enjoy it while they’re young, because one day they’re going to be old, and you older, and those memories will be all that you have left. So go out, sing that silly song with gusto, have that tickle fight! Make the most of memories, for time is all too short!
Just because, a photo of my husband and the twins enjoying a movie on his phone.
#twinsandtime #twins #time #enjoylife #makmemmories
Twins and Time: A Better 2016
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