Ultrasound Technician “Yes, everything is okay… times two.”
Me: “Ummm, excuse me.”
Yes, this is how my twin journey began. It was quite a surprise and one I will never forget. I realize all twin/multiples pregnancies begin their journey in many different ways and each and every one are truly unique, but mine was the classic Hollywood portrayal of stunned parents-to-be who at 12-weeks-pregnant have just found out that they are expecting not one but two babies.
Fast forward to the end of my pregnancy and I had NO idea how I was going to handle taking care of two babies at the same time. See, I was not a rookie mom, a few years earlier I had given birth to a daughter who was the star of our lives, but also demanded a lot of our attention. To be honest I wasn’t even sure if we could have handled bringing another baby into our family without losing our minds. I felt like I was still emerging from the new mom fog and I am ashamed to admit it but I may have googled “how to know if you should have another baby” one too many times. Alas, when we finally decided to give it a shot it didn’t even cross my mind that it could be a double shot.
So you can imagine how unprepared I felt. From things like strollers, car seats, bassinets and high chairs we needed to either buy new items or in the case of my car we had to upgrade to something larger that would fit three car seats safely. The economic impact alone of having two babies at once was a hard pill to swallow, and still is. But I can tell you the emotional and physical impacts for me were even harder. Extreme nausea, fatigue, joint pain and swelling combined with anxiety, fear, anger and panic kept me up all hours of the night. I read every book, joined every twin mom group and scoured the internet for all the information. But as prepared as I may have been the deep seed of the unknown began to weigh me down. That is until those babies were born. I did not have an “aha” moment during my pregnancy nor did I find a sense of calm. It wasn’t until those two babies were in my face with their perfect little round faces and tiny little bodies did I see the true miracle that was twins.
I hope to share my birth story and personal twin journey with you all soon but I really wanted to share my true side of finding out and processing a twin pregnancy and beyond. I hope this provides any of you who may be beginning your multiples journey or those in the midst of it some comfort that it is not all rainbows and butterflies. That fear and anxiety is okay and you are not alone. It does get better and it does get easier in other ways. Reach out to other twin mamas for support, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and know you are stronger than you think.
This post was created in partnership with Kleenex Brand.
I think the first thing people say to me when I tell them a bit about myself is “wow, you must be busy!” The answer… yes, I am busy. Occasionally things in my world will get off of balance, either with a messy house or feeling like my daily to-do list is too long. I will remind myself that it might be time to help our kids along with becoming more independent, which helps me out and restores balance in our home.
But I have four kids, four personalities and four ages. Well, two of them are a minute apart, but our twins could not be more different. So how do I encourage each one to become more independent while making it easy, fun and appropriate for their stage?
Here are five tips to help your kids become more independent, and make life a littler easier for you…
1. Use reminders and tools to help. I use routine stickers around our house to help remind my four-year-old twins what to do, like brush their hair, or clean up clothes. We also have a list posted on our fridge to remind all four kids how they can help out. I also use tools to make things a little easier for our youngest like step stools. They will often move the step stools around our house to be able to reach everything just a little bit easier.
2. Create a self-serve snack container. Something I was finding that was a huge time suck was I was constantly getting our kids snacks. So, on days like PA days, I will create a schedule and include what time I have designated for snack time. But sometimes our kids get really hungry before it is snack time, so I decided to have healthy snacks on hand that they can get themselves. In our fridge there is a snack container that our kids can grab snacks to keep them fueled.
3. Keep Kleenex Gentle Clean Wet Wipes handy for cleanup. These have been a game changer for our family. They help with everything from our kids wiping toothpaste from their mouths, hands and sink, (instead of on our towels), to Play-Doh clean-up. I’m not hovering anymore worrying that our kids new found independence is leaving a trail of destruction in our home.
4. Allow your kids to serve themselves at mealtime. This is something that I started doing a few years ago when I was dealing with some very picky eaters. Instead of dishing our kids food out for them, I allow each of our kids dish out their own portions. This in-turn not only increases their independence level, but they also try more foods, and eat larger portions. It all comes down to control and they are happy to have it.
5. Supervise and instruct. Our big kids are starting to tackle some bigger tasks like using the toaster. Our daughter Beau mastered making her own toast when she was seven. But before she could go solo with this big-kid task, I supervised her many times and drilled safety tips into her like to never put a utensil in the toaster. Over time Beau really mastered toast making and even enjoys making toast for all of her siblings.
Watch how our kids are gaining independence…
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Kleenex Brand. While compensation was provided in form of trade, all opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily indicative of the opinions of Kleenex Brand.
With Marie Kondo out with her new Netflix Show, everyone is tidying up and sparking joy all around their homes. But, sometimes getting started is the hardest part. So, today I’m sharing with you 5 ways to declutter under your bathroom sink, since we all know this can be one of the hardest areas to organize and stay tidy.
1.Take everything out and see if they spark joy
One by one remove all the items under your bathroom sink. Throw out the products that are expired and put aside the products you don’t use anymore that you can give to your friends or family. Then with the remaining products, go through each one and see if they spark joy. Do they make you happy when you use them? Do they help with your skin or hair care? Do they smell nice? These are all some good questions you can ask.
2. Put like things together
Now, put together like items. Put together all the cleaning supplies, hair care products, skin care products, the first aid products. By grouping like things together, you are more likely to know where to find a particular item when you need it. You’re also more likely to keep your under bathroom sink area organized as well.
3. Tidy Up
Now that you have taken everything out from under the bathroom sink, this is the perfect time to clean up the area as well.
4. Make it beautiful
I personally love organizing and making the space beautiful as well. It helps me keep it organized in the future. All the spaces in my home spark joy because whenever I open my closet, a drawer, my pantry, I am just so happy by how beautiful they look. This really helps me want to keep the space looking tidy as well.
Although one may think the under sink area can be difficult to look beautiful, I think they’re wrong. Finding some beautiful baskets or storage bins really help make things look great, but also help with function. I love these storage bins from MUJI. They’re affordable, stackable and they look so beautiful under the bathroom sink. I categorized each bin and stored similar items in each.
5. Label label label
I think labeling is so important. You may not be the only one using the bathroom. So other users also need to know where items are located. By having clear labels, anyone should be able to find items and put them back where they belong. This black embossed label maker is one of my personal favorites. It gives the space a chic look while also clearly labeling what’s in each bin.
And there you have it. An organized under bathroom sink cupboard. It is so satisfying having a functional and beautiful space and it personally motivates me to tidy other areas of the house. If you want to see some before and after pictures of my under bathroom sink area, check it out here. Happy tidying 🙂
Kamaldeep is the blogger behind the the beautiful and inspiring blog Get Kamfortable. There you will find highlights of her city, Toronto, minimalist DIY’s as she decorates her home, recipes and vegan restaurants that she loves. You can read Kamaldeep’s full bio, and follow her personal blog here.
Self-care has become trendy; there are 4.6 million #treatyoself posts on Instagram alone.
As you scroll through the posts, you see a lot of food; pastries, desserts, pizza. Good food can definitely be considered self care. Especially as a mother, it can be difficult to fit in a satisfying meal amongst the chaos. But when does this cross the line into self-sabotage?
I use food as a comfort, like a lot of people. Whenever I am worried, anxious or stressed, I’ll reach for something sweet. In the moment, I feel so much better. Until the sugar crash hits me and I feel more drained than I did before. Or all the greasy deliciousness of a pizza makes me bloated and uncomfortable 30 minutes later.
It’s a dangerous game to start classing unhealthy binge eating as self care. Sometimes self-care absolutely calls for a homemade batch of cookies, a steaming hot pizza delivered to your door and eaten in bed, but it’s also important to notice when these acts are detrimental. When it’s your new norm to eat takeaway, grab a few cookies whenever you pass the pantry, or turn to food when you’re upset, you are forming unhealthy habits.
I’ve fallen into this trap recently. With never ending winter colds and stomach bugs sweeping through our household, I’ve been extremely complacent with what I’m putting into my body. I’ve also skipped my planned workouts because I wanted to nap, have a lazy day or felt too tired. Taking a break is important, treating yourself with yummy foods is important; but everyday isn’t a treat, and if you’re left feeling worse than before, have you really cared for yourself?
Meditation is an amazing tool to instantly destress and combat anxiety
If you find yourself turning to food when a stressful situation hits, ask yourself what you’re feeling. Similarly to alcohol, or drugs, food can be used to block out something unpleasant and serve as an enjoyable distraction. Instead of continuing to bury yourself in food, take a look at what triggered you to eat, and see if you can work through it without the crutch of food. Perhaps you meditate for 5 minutes, or put on your favourite song and dance your worries away.
Self-care should make you feel good. Caring for yourself can be a sacred soothing act, if you let it. My favourite acts of self-care are taking a hot bath once my daughter is asleep, reading a good book in bed, writing in my journal, or having a long yoga practice.
A few of my favourite books which help me relax
I’ve realised my ‘self-care’ habits lately have been making me feel worse, not better. I’m making a real effort to focus on eating healthy foods that make me feel energised, and moving my body often instead of being inactive and suffering with the resulting stiffness.
Take a look at how you treat yourself, are you truly caring for yourself? Have you protected some bad habits under the guise of self-care? Focus on feeling good, physically and mentally, and you’ll start craving different things; a fruit smoothie and yoga becomes more appealing than pizza and Netflix. As you adopt healthier habits, and start genuinely caring for yourself, the ripple effects of a healthier you will spread through every area of your life.
Roseanneis the blogger behind the honest and inspirational personal blog Roseanne Writes. Native to Scotland, now calling Canada home, Rosanne helps mothers navigate motherhood while remaining true to themselves. You can read Roseanne’s full bio, and follower her personal blog here.
In celebrating Nesting Story’s new website and the addition of it’s contributors, I wanted to share the 7 most pivotal moments that got Nesting Story to where it is today. It’s had some unexpected twists, very exciting turns, and I wouldn’t change a thing…
#7: Feeling like I needed to create
something that was mine.
I think entrepreneurs are cut from a
certain cloth. We are idea people, who no matter how many times say we are
going to take a step back, end up waking up the next morning with five new
ideas. It’s in us, the urge to create something from nothing.
I’ve always had this sense, but it became impossible to ignore once I had my first two babies. So, I began dabbling in creative outlets, hoping that one day it would turn into a full-fledged business. I had Etsy shops where I created and sold hand made headbands and mobiles. I created a baby concierge service, which never quite made it past the planning stages, and eventually landed on an Interior Design and mural painting business, with a focus on children’s spaces. So in 2013, Nesting Story was officially born.
This little business began to thrive, and it felt great putting my Interior Design and fine arts skillset to use. But it came to a halt when I had the surprise of a lifetime… twins! I was pregnant with twins, and had terrible pregnancy sickness to accompany it. My days of climbing a ladder to paint were officially on pause…
#6: Craving
connection during an isolating twin pregnancy.
My twin
pregnancy brought me to my knees. Although our twins thrived, my body struggled
through the entire process. I would black out after climbing stairs, my hips
were in constant agony and I even lost my vision at the end. On top of this I
had two older kids that needed me.
Many days were spent laying on the sofa, with a pillow between my knees, beds for my kids made on the ground, feeding them bowls of Cheerios while watching a movie.
It’s amazing how
alone you can feel when you are surrounded by so much support. I longed for
connection with other parents of multiples. I didn’t know one person with
twins. So family members began connecting me via email with twin parents they
knew. I was shocked by the negative emails I was receiving from them, with the
over-arching tone being “your life is over.”
I wouldn’t accept it. I began scouring the Internet for twin-mom bloggers, who hadn’t lost their identity, but came up short. It was this longing, as well as some encouragement from friends to switch Nesting Story over to a parenting blog…
#5: Sharing my twin pregnancy story and
finding my tribe.
When the dust settled, and my twins were
around six months old, I began to blog. I shared everything, from what it’s
really like to be pregnant with twins, to the depression I experienced during
my twin pregnancy.
It was during my twin pregnancy and birth series that I started to gain some traction. With the help of my twin mom Facebook group, we got the posts out into the world and more and more mothers began to resonate with it.
I found my voice with writing and shared every gritty detail, but always ended on an inspiring or solution-based note. The last thing I wanted to do was scare other moms like the emails that were sent to me had done. Besides, although I was in the trenches, I was able to find my voice and was slowly rehabilitating my (new) body…
#4: Hitting a viral nerve.
Going
viral is not a natural or normal human experience. Anyone who has experienced
going viral can probably agree that it is a bit of an out-of-body journey with
a roller coaster of emotions that follow. Although it can bring some incredible
opportunities, it can also throw your life off course. Here is my story.
In 2015 I had been pretty pumped about the fact that I was finally falling into a rhythm with my early morning workout routine and could actually see my body coming back after having my four kids, (including twins). I knew that my body would forever be changed. I had a few followers expecting twins that I wanted to share my body after baby story with.
So, after a finishing dinner with a big glass of wine I sat down and began to write. I laughed with my husband that I probably shouldn’t be blogging because I was a little buzzed. I cranked my music and began. It poured out of me. I enjoyed going through my pregnancy photos and finally felt balzy enough to throw in those postpartum photos I once felt so ashamed about. After only an hour and a half, (record time), I finished and went to bed, waiting for the morning to hit publish.
Over
the next day I could see the post was resonating with everyone, not just moms
expecting twins. My website traffic was slowly climbing and the comments were
pouring in. “Cool,” I thought to myself, “my post had legs.” Over the weekend I
watched the numbers climb. I mentioned to some family that one of my posts was
going viral, “oh that’s nice,” they replied, not knowing what was about to
happen.
Within days, Nesting Story reached just under two-million page views. The crazy viral numbers started to level out and slowly decline. Then came the press. For the next couple weeks I averaged four interviews a day, (on the phone and reporters in our home). I was featured on media outlets like People magazine and Fit Pregnancy. It felt like a dream.
As the buzz tapered, so did my energy. I had to find my footing again and figure out what was next. I hadn’t even monetized my blog yet…
#3: How do I turn this into a business?
I sometimes look back at when I went viral
and think, “that woman had no idea what she was doing.” Okay, in terms of
storytelling, the old me knew what I was doing. In fact, I am kind of jealous
of the filter-free Joanna. I’ve definitely found time, growth and my kids
getting older have made me more filtered. But what I meant was, I had no idea
how to turn a blog into a business. Here I was on the heels of a media storm,
basically holding a golden ticket and I had not idea how to cash it in.
I began calling PR agencies and after some negative encounters, (and what felt like Pretty Woman moments, “big mistake, huge!”), I decided to go to a blogger conference. So I snagged a ticket, and booked a flight to Scottsdale Arizona and attended my first Mom 2.0 Summit, a conference for bloggers.
Finally being plugging into a blogging community was everything. I no longer felt like a lone wolf. I created friendships and learned faster than I could take notes. Then on one fateful day, after a lovely lunch conversation with a fellow blogger, she said “I’d like to introduce you to someone. This is Baby Center.” My jaw dropped, I felt like I was in the presence of blogger royalty.
This chance encounter with the Baby Center
team was a huge moment on my journey. They ended up adding me as a contributor,
and through them I was able to get my first paid gig and learn how to work with
brands.
Brand partnerships soon followed on Nesting Story and I was able to start making an income. My dream of creating my own company from scratch was coming true. I continued to share my story on my blog, but I began to feel like writing and photos was limiting some of the stories I wanted to tell…
#2: I guess I’m also a video creator.
I could have continued telling my story on my blog, but some needed extra explanation and visuals. I really wanted to give my twin mom audience a nursery tour and show them how I fed my babies, without help during the night, from day one. “Could I film it?” I wondered. I decided to give video and YouTube a try. I had already slapped a few videos up on YouTube, what’s one more? Besides, I could embed it in a blog post so that it can actually be viewed.
So, I invited a friend over and asked her
to film me in my twins’ nursery with my phone. After a couple failed attempts
with cranky babies, I swapped my twins out for dolls and I was off to the
races. That video now has almost 100,000 views.
I enjoyed creating that video so much, I
thought I’d try sharing a “day in the life.” I was able to capture my day on my
phone and edit it together. Success!
I dabbled with video here and there over the next year, and slowly I gained 5,000 subscribers. I would do this thing where I’d film myself casually, talking to the camera, and then show my day. It wasn’t until that year’s Mom 2.0 Summit that I was told by someone that I was really good at vlogging. “What was vlogging?” I thought. I had so much to learn, and apparently some YouTube to watch.
I was soon after introduced to Kin Community Canada, being told that it would be a great fit for me. After some adjustments to my videos and my channel, they signed me. I didn’t realize that Kin would not only become a huge stepping stone for my career, but would also feel like family. It was also through Kin where I met my “work wife” AmandaMuse. Together we have created videos, a business, and spoken at events.
Over the next few years Nesting Story transformed, and grew with me. I began to share more about me, and a little less about my kids. I began to share more lifestyle, home, DIY projects and wellness content which all made my heart sing. But something was nagging me. I didn’t want to abandon the twin community that meant so much to me. I wanted to pay it forward and help other new bloggers the way Baby Center helped me. And I didn’t want my blog to fade into the background, being overshadowed by video…
#1: It’s come full circle.
By late 2018 I began saying something out
loud to a few of my closest people, “I want to add contributors to my blog.”
“You’ve wanted to do that for years.”
They’d say.
I had. I had been saying it for years. I had held back out of fear. Fear because I didn’t know if anyone would want to write for Nesting Story, fear because I didn’t know how it would all work. But it was time. I also had an incredible team by this point who I knew would help make it happen.
So we put out a call, and boy did you deliver! We had a huge response. I was so excited to pick our final contributors and I am even more excited to share their stories. So, who are Nesting Story’s contributors? Some are twin moms, some are new moms, one isn’t a mom but is a master of minimalism. One specializes in makeup, while another one specializes in Interior Design. But the common thread is each of them speak from an honest and inspirational place which I am sure is going to resonate with all of you. I’m sure as our contributors own platforms grow, they will move on and we will be ready to add the next wave of writers.
I see this point of Nesting Story as a full circle moment. I am able to continue telling my story and do what I love, but I am also excited to share the spotlight with new writers and budding bloggers. I am exciting to work behind the scenes on some other projects including ebooks, an ecourse, a shop and lots more.
I don’t know entirely what’s down the road for Nesting Story, and after some of my surprising twists and turns I’ve stopped trying to predict the future. Right now I am going to celebrate this new launch and just breathe it all in.
