Bedtime: Don't let them see your fear

Bedtime. Ahhh, that lovely, dreamfilled space when slumber takes over and the dream angels catch you with their fluffy wings of snooze glitter....

Or:

The daily battle to go to bed with procrastinating twins, one who wakes up every night and won't sleep, and the broken tiredness that results from sleep deprivation resulting in meltdown for me, them, anyone in the close vicinity, and requiring Starbucks sponsorship to function.

Eeyore knows the score. Don't let them know you are SCARED of them not going to bed. They can smell fear and will have you over a barrel.

Tell them the routine - spell it out - teeth cleaning, jim jams on, cuddle mummy on sofa, read a book, massage with lavender oil, tuck in, kiss and sleep tight. ANY deviation from the routine shows weakness and they damned well know it.

Hesitate to take them upstairs and they know they have you. Change your mind for a nanosecond and they are in. It requires the game face, the battle armour, the steely determination and the will to not lose it before Eastenders time.

The Mini Divas. Creators of the bedtime battle.

Yours from a computer, in PJ's, in daytime, chronically fatigued.

Dex Diva
x

The pre- and post Christmas Mayhem – the hope to return to normality! Guest post by Multiple Mummy

As I said yesterday, it can be a relief to get back to normality following the festive fun.
I have twins, which makes things manic enough, but fellow blogger and mum of 3 (including twins and a 3 year old) Kerry gets my award for staying sane over Xmas.
Here on Mini Divas we are all about telling it how it is, so I am thrilled to introduce you to Multiple Mummy, who admits to a meltdown. I love women who openly admit to having a crisis from time to time. Make sure you check out Multiple Mummy's blog and you can follow her on Twitter @multiplemummy.


Over to you  Kerry...

I am writing this post in the play room as I have not moved the computer back to it’s original spot following the pre-Christmas furniture move in order to have enough space to host for 16 people in total. You would think that having 2-year-old twins and a 3-year-old little boy that I would have enough to cope with, but no, in my wisdom I opt to invite the whole family for Christmas.

We Heart Stokey - Lollibops and Lollipops

It may come as a shock to those of you who know me as writer, designer and pop culturalist extraordinaire to discover that I am actually a mother of 1 year old twin girls in my spare time. I know, and with such a lithe nubile physique, I don't know how I do it myself. Eva and Mia, my precious bundles of double trouble are perfect, hilarious, messy, and all mine up until the day they decide they didnt ask to be born, life is unfair and they up sticks to find themselves in some far flung corner of the globe.

Twin Territory - what you can and can't do with 2 babies

This section is mainly a list of irritations and observations to do with a twin buggy and the manoevres thereof, but is also an encouraging collection of things that are actually easier with two Ninos...

• You can get on a bus. But you have to take the wheel off buggy ( ours is an Out and About Nipper). Bus no longer an attractive option due to wheel off/shopping everywhere/babies screaming scenario.

• Baby clinics and Doctors surgeries tend to have normal sized doors through which buggies of the double dimension do not fit.

You can either:

a) leave kids outside risking crazy person stealing them away

b) go in to ask for door to be opened fully for better access/complain about lack of access, but whilst waiting for receptionist to come off phone and notice you babies have since been taken by fore-mentioned crazy person

c) have to take someone with you to the doctors

d) carry them both in and get stared at while you struggle with door/bags/babies

• You can still go to the market but you get tutted at by more old ladies who object to the room the buggy takes up on the path

• You can go to the playbarn on a solo flight but you have to be able to get both babies out of the car on your own and carry them into the play area thus arriving hot, sweaty and with slightly crushed Small People.

• Once in the playbarn you cannot then go and get yourself a coffee as you then have to take your eyes away from the 2 Small People crawling/climbing/falling off apparatus.

• You can get both babies to feed themselves with a bottle from quite an early age. This save huge amounts of time and singleton mums will envy you the hands-free action.

• You can get out of the house on time with everyone dressed, fed and clean if you don't mind the fact that something has to give. Either your hair is still wet and worn in an unsightly Croydon facelift manner, or the shower has been forfeited in favour or make up. Either clean or made up, the choice is yours.

• You can get stopped and told how lucky you are to have twins. You can also agree whole heartedly with this.

• You can let the twins play together/destroy house while pottering about

• You get to have 2 babies at once and don't have to suffer two pregnancies, 2 births, 2 newborn exhaustion periods and 2 maternity leaves.

• You can use one baby as a control test for the other. "Is that one hot?". "Yes. Is the other one the same?" . "Let me check"...etc. Less neurotic behaviour - you don't have the time or energy but you also have your own control experiment child.

Welcome to our blog

So. My beautiful girls Eva and Mia are now 1 year old.

Born on the 22nd June 2009 they are my world, and their Dad and I are the happiest parents around.

Most of the time.

I am a twin mum with endo. I have my own business. I haven't kept a diary since the girls were 12 weeks old, and there is a lot of stuff that goes on in our lives.

We will talk about the birth, living with twins, endometriosis, postnatal depression and all the things that people brush under the carpet. But also this is a celebration of my gorgeous daughters, Eva and Mia, who are the light in my life whenever the darkest bits come back.