I’m actually enjoying Christmas vacation… well, so far

toddler playing with doll

I am a routine freak. I don’t try to hide it. I need my routine. When pulled out of it, even for a weekend, I unravel.

But here I am, Thursday December 28th, and I am intact, mentally sound, and have not crumbled. Not even during the three straight days of family events, (some with two events per day). Nope, I’m as cool as a cucumber over here.

At least for now.

Maybe this is the sign of the times. I have emerged from the baby haze and can actually cope with life. Okay, okay, our twins went back to full-time daycare yesterday, so maybe I am cheating just a little. But hey, I have learned what works for our family, and I am taking full advantage of childcare so that Mike and I can spend some rare one-on-one time with our big kids.

Christmas morning

Despite the plethora of toys our kids were given for Christmas, I have still heard, “I’m bored,” already at least ten times. My response… saying you’re bored buys you a ticket to play in the mounds of snow in our backyard. This redirects them pretty quickly, especially since it is -23° C outside here in Canada.

So, I survived Christmas. It was pretty great actually, despite some kids getting over colds, and Beau having a bad fall on Christmas morning. It was mostly magical. I’ve added our last couple vlogs below in case you want to catch up on our Christmas vacation.

Fingers crossed I keep going with the flow, and can survive the next week. But for now I am going to enjoy the all-day pj rule, the midday movie outings (we saw Wonder today, it was incredible), and Mike and my evening movie dates enjoying our new basement home theatre.

kids playing

I hope you are surviving the holidays too, and are finding the unstructured days manageable. Fingers crossed!

Twin toddler aggression and regression

Nesting Story Twins

Take a deep breath Joanna. I am telling myself that a lot lately.

I’m not new to the toddler stage. I have been through it twice before. I get that there are ups and downs. Some days are magical and full of exploration and learning new things. Other days are hard to survive.

For the last week I have felt like I have been living with two angry cavemen (or I should say, cavewomen). From the moment we wake up our days are filled with screaming, hitting, pee on the floor, and constant communication break downs. At first I had thought our twins, (who will be three in July), were getting sick. Because, you know, there’s got to be some kind of reason for this behaviour.

But as each day unfolded without vomit, or snotty noses, I realized that we are going through some rough toddler stuff right now.

Dealing with toddler angst is hard enough when there’s one toddler, but two? Lord help me!

Let’s start with Mia. Mia has been having some mommy separation anxiety with a sprinkling of hitting her siblings. Not fun.

Everly

Then there’s Everly. My typically chill child has suddenly become an emotional rollercoaster, getting her kicks from copying her siblings, especially when they cry, and you better believe she one-ups them each time. Hitting has also been a problem, mostly towards Mia, but then there’s the regression.

We seem to have taken a step back in the potty training department. This I also know is all part of the journey with toddlers. So, we are going with the flow, taking those deep breaths and trying to picture what it must feel like to be a toddler.

Photos: Sarah Martin Photography and Ooh Ooh Darling

Check out our latest vlog to see the mayhem going on in our home…

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Vlog Recap: What We Did Last Week (September 8 – 15)

reading to kids

This past week was a bit of a mixed bag. I was feeling the terrible twos with the twins hard, which was bringing Mike and I down a bit. But I had an epiphany which has changed my mindset and helped me cope with this difficult phase.

The older kids continued to binge on their iPads, so I created a new screen-time system which also has them helping more around the house. I am happy to report that it has worked beautifully.

I take you on a much-requested home tour, but this isn’t just any home tour, it’s a real one. What does that mean? I didn’t clean before-hand. Then on September 11th I remember and tell my story of where I was that day.

I ended our week with a really exciting excision… the Toronto Facebook office! There, I take you on a tour and introduce you to one of my favourite vlogging-mamas.

Welcome to our week…


 

 


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Our Family Is Daily Vlogging In September! This Is What We Did Last Week…

Four Kids

You may have heard… we have lost our marbles and have decided to film, edit and upload a new video each day to our YouTube channel this month.

Why? Well, you’re why. We love our community so much, we wanted to invite you into our world on a daily basis for the month of September.

We are starting school, hitting new milestones and always keeping it very, very REAL!

From meltdowns (both with the kids and the adults) to exciting moments and silliness, we aren’t holding back.

So grab your popcorn and check out what we were up to last week…

Thursday September 1


Friday September 2

Saturday September 3

Sunday September 4

Monday September 5

Tuesday September 6

Wednesday September 7

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I Felt Like I Was Pregnant… But I Wasn’t (Video)

Feeling sick

Last week I was under the weather. In fact I was so dizzy I fell into my bedside table. Thankfully Mike was there to step in and take over parenting and folding laundry. I know, I’m lucky!

What I don’t mention in this vlog is I felt so sick all week it started setting off some panic attacks at the end of the week. I felt so “off” that I couldn’t function. I am finally back to normal now.

Also, Mia thinks she can disappear. So there’s that.

Welcome to our home…

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