Double the Fun podcast

It’s good to take a break every so often. But I have a specific reason why I'm putting this podcast on hiatus. It mainly has to do with starting a new full-time job outside the home. I realize this break comes with additional benefits. A podcast hiatus is an opportunity to catch my breath, reassess what is working, and tweak things so that in the future, Double the Fun is even stronger. In this Episode #32, I share the details about why I am putting this podcast on hold and what that means for you. The best thing you can do is Subscribe to DTF so that when I return, you are the first to know.

Every mother is superwoman in my book. She gets up each morning with her invisible cape of courageous and compassionate nurturing qualities, valiant meal preparation, brave meltdown management, bold sibling rivalry resolution making, gallant and bold event and activity scheduling. Yet, every wonder woman also has Kryptonite, those things that are hard and weaken our heroine. Meltdowns, kids throwing food, a dirty house can cause this phenom to buckle at her feet and ask the Gods to step-in and provide a shield of defense and a lightning bolt of inspiration and power. In this Episode, I talk about my superpowers and Kryptonite in terms of my own parenting as a mother to our twins. I talk about those things that come more easily and skillfully vs those tasks or behaviors my kids do that can be more challenging for me to handle.

The first year of your baby's life seems like both the longest and shortest year of your life. You spend 9 months preparing for your baby's arrival, and then when they come, the next moment, you’re watching them make their first smile, roll over, crawl, walk, eat solid foods, say their first words, and more. Then, before you know it you are singing "Happy Birthday" to your bright-eyed 1-year-old. So how do you keep track of their milestones? How do you know what is normal for their age? How and what do you use to hold onto precious memories, videos, pictures, material items and objects that are cherished and treasures? In this episode, I talk everything about what did/am doing to track my twins' milestones and preserve the memories that they have and will create as they grow.

Happiness as a parent can sometimes be elusive and challenging to live inside, but it can also be found in the delight of selflessly loving and caring for a child. In this episode, I talk about what things contribute to my happiness in parenting, what detracts from it and I touch on how I try to foster happiness in various aspects of life: home, work, parenting and relationships.

Vacuuming, cleaning, dusting, wiping, sweeping and more...what is the fascination with learning how others take care of their home or space? I have found it intriguing hearing about the how-tos of keeping things spic and span. In this episode, I talk about what I do to keep our home clean enough. No, it's not sparkling or gleaming, yet it is tidy and good enough to feel comfortable and happy in. You may wonder what this has to do with being a parent or having multiples, but I believe it does. Maintaining a decently put-together space is conductive and helpful for supporting the emotional happiness, productivity and function of everyday living for everyone in a family. Tune in to this show to get some ideas on how to maintain a fairly decent residence. And I'm also interested in what you can relate to and whether you have tips or tricks up your (cleaning) sleeves for me!

From fancy, Pinterest-inspired birthday bashes to simple homey celebrations with donuts and family, birthday parties can look wildly different. But for moms today, planning a birthday party can feel a little like a competition against our friends and even ourselves. But one thing all parties do is reveal a mom’s heart to celebrate how much they love their children, value enabling space for their kids to have fun, socialize and share in the memories of their birth. On today's episode, I share how I've done birthday parties, although only two of them. By no means am I an expert or professional party planner. Yet, I've thrown two and they've gone off fairly successfully. I share everything from choosing a theme, buying decorations, options for invitations, where to host it, choices of how to serve food, what type of cake or dessert to have, activities to offer during the party, gift bags or not, and more.

Keeping things creative and interesting in the kitchen for yourself, your partner and kids can be both challenging and tiring at times. But it can also be exciting, exercise your creative skills and can keep eating and mealtimes spicy and interesting. In this episode, I describe in detail what inspired me to create/tweak the Meal Plan that I currently use today. I share the binder I use, how I've created Word Docs that include a Grand 9-Week Meal Plan calendar, grocery lists and recipes and how I use each to enable to make cooking for my family pretty easy!

Sleep! This is a MUCH discussed topic among twin/multiple and also singleton moms. One of the most common questions I am asked when strangers find out that I have twins is, “How did you do sleep training?” The insanity and exhaustion caused from bad or lack of sleep is unlike anything I have experienced before or since. Parents seem to be scarred by those early weeks and months when they walked through life in a half-awake daze. So much so that people with grown kids still immediately think of the sleep question when they think about babies. In this episode, I discuss all things sleep training, from how to prepare your baby's nursery, what types of accessories helped our twins, how sleep training twins is different and what you can do. I also described and explained my personal approach to sleep training. I talk about how it put them on a 9-1-5 schedule, how feedings and activity went. I also share what my 21-month old twin toddlers sleep schedule is like now.

I think one of the greatest challenges of parenting is raising siblings who like each other. Parents not only have to find ways to let each child know they are special and loved, but they also need to help them learn how to share and cooperate. Ultimately, we as parents hope to lay a foundation for our kids to develop a strong sense of love, support, comfort and pleasure for each other as they journey into adulthood. But it can be a hard thing to foster. Especially with multiples. I feel as though sibling rivalry can be up there in terms of the type of distress and concern parents undergo, close to average behavior problems. But, I truly believe that we can create an atmosphere where sibling love is part of the dynamics in our home, In this episode, I talk about interventions/conflict, comparison, jealousy/attention, "forcing vs. allowing" siblings to share and form friendships and more.

Let's discuss a very "fluffy" topic: laundry. This episode is inspired by a few other podcasters. Let's face it, as moms, we are typically the humans who do the majority of this task and we are always looking for tips and ideas about how to make it more efficient and effective. I am no expert, but in this show, I share when and how I do our laundry, what products I use, folding and putting away and more. I hope you will find some new ideas or just be able to relate to how things are done in our household.

The Enneagram has greatly influenced and impacted how I view and interact with both myself and others. It also seems within the last 5 years everyone is talking about this personality/behavior typing personality tools. Additionally, there are other systems and indicators that delve into the wide world of personality typing and behavior predictors. On this episode, I discuss (briefly) 4 of these systems: Introversion/Extroversion within the model of the Myers-Briggs Indicator, The 5 Love Languages, Gretchen Rubin's 4 Tendencies, and finally the Enneagram. I share what I have scored in each of these tests and how after learning my numbers or groups of letters the results have been incredibly valuable to me as an individual. The Enneagram, in particular, has helped me understand myself better and how they play a part in how I parent.

In this episode, I cover all the icky and gross things we have to deal with as mamas: Poop, sick kids and teething...to name a few. I cover how, what used and when I handled poop, how and what to do with rashes and what types of cream, diapers and wipes I used. I also delve into the world of sick kids, how to "read" symptoms and what to do at home to alleviate discomfort and pain. Finally, I touch on teething and what resources and items I used to lessen their pain.

As I've been out-and-about just doing my momming, I hear other parents ask questions, make comments and just share stories that have inspired me to want to put in my little two-cents. In this Episode, I put forward my thoughts and ideas about these. I talk about cranial helmets, getting outside/into the public with your kids, online vs. in-person friendships, hobbies and passions outside of motherhood, the tried-and-true favorite toys my twins have had, and tie up this colorfully varied podcast with a big bow of talking about great gift ideas for moms.

Overprotective, over-involved, or over-focused on your kid? Or perhaps too laise faire, too permissive or non-involved? Which category do you think your parenting style falls into? Or, perhaps you are in-between these extremes? In this episode, I loosely define the differences between a helicopter mom vs a hippie (also known as "free-range") mom/parent. I then discuss examples of how my own parenting actions, decisions and behaviors I have so far have fallen along the spectrum of these two types of approaches.

Keeping things fairly decent and tidy as a mom is just plain hard, especially during certain seasons of parenthood. In this episode, I talk about my main organization and tidying systems that I use in the living room/play area with the kid’s toys/furniture. I also share about how I keep the kitchen clean and kid’s things organized such as their food, sippy cups, bottles and more. We move into their bedroom and I discuss how I organize, store or decide when and how to get rid of their clothes using various tools I use such as bags, boxes, tubs and baskets. I then move into a discussion about how I schedule events and activities for the kid’s and whole family, and share about the tools used such as Google Docs, white boards, calendars and other reminders.

Every pregnancy loss is different and there is no right or wrong way to feel. The loss of a baby can be a scary, unhappy, and lonely experience. In this episode, I get raw, real and even teary as I share openly about the two miscarriages I've had, one very recent. I discuss what happened, the emotions I've felt, and the takeaways from them. I also discuss how my faith played a role in the process of honing my patience and trust as I waited for the outcome, and also after I found out the final news.

Being a mother of multiples is challenging enough when you have a spouse to help share the load, or when being a stay-at-home-parent. But there are parents out there who are single and/or working who have a much larger load to carry. Ashley Aiken is one of these amazing parental wonders who is doing it both with such strength, fortitude and relative calmness. In this episode, I talk to my good friend about the ups and downs, challenges and joys and inside scoop of how she has had to utilize state and federal help, donations of generous and kind people for clothes, toys and necessities, had the love and support of friends coming around her to help. But all-in-all, she's had to take on 90% of the work of balancing everything while still being a truly great mom to her twins Scarlet and Serenity. You'll be impressed and inspired by this young woman who is making it happen!

Before I had kids, I thought I would be "that mom" who had things planned out nicely, who'd run the house with ease, have control around schedules, naptimes, diaper changings and events. I thought I'd nurse for X-number of days, go on outings each day, etc. In this episode, I talk about what my education and brief synopsis of my work history, when I got married, then became a first time Mom and how that shaped my perspective on parenting. I discuss how I've changed, altered, tweaked or all-together ditched many of those "plans."

Let's face it, most parents are overworked and exhausted and are surviving with minimal free time. In this episode, I discuss whole concept of "self-care" and it's been such a trendy thing in the recent years. Self-Care can be redefined in the context and daily life of parenting. I talk about practicing self-care after putting the kids to sleep at bed or naptime, making date days or nights a priority, developing and spending time with friends, going on "mini-vacations" that are simple but refreshing, and how to use your precious alone time in productive yet soul-reinvigorating ways.

Many moms of multiples (twins, triplets, etc) have been through fertility treatments in order to become mamas. It can be a rough season, but also one of great reward and happiness when the outcome is successful. In this episode, I interviewed my friend, Ashley Mukavetz, teacher and current SAHM. Ashley shares her story of how she became pregnant after 3 years of trying, discovering the problem, tackling it head-on with IVF, and the wonderful result of beautiful boy/girl twins Cameron and Cooper. We also talk about the blossoming personalities of her 4-month kiddos, what her daily schedule looks like and what unique challenges and joys she's experiencing being a mom of multiples.