Boy Mom Tribe

So you're having twins. There is so much to think about and, well, as a twin Mom myself, I have realized that there was so much that I wish I had when my twins came along. Today I will focus on the NURSERY. Here are some things I didn't think about and wish I had.  1. If you co-sleep, it will be SO different with twins and your hubby may need to sleep for work the next day. I WISH I had put a bed for ME in the twins' room in case it was a long night along with these little bassinets to keep them safe but close.  Another thing I wished I had was a nursing chair that was a little wider and without wooden handles to bump their heads on. The truth is, nursing twins takes a lot more work to set them up. Something like this would have been a DREAM!   This nursing pillow is something I DID have and I was forever thankful for it.    Other things to think about are that you will need a light for nighttime diaper changes that will not wake both up if one doesn't need ...

 Day 1 - no coffee. I didn’t miss the cozy devotion time with coffee. The dandelion Teechino with a touch of real maple syrup and Almond milk tasted somewhat similar to coffee.   I’m currently enjoying a beautiful headache on a sunny day. 🥴

 😬😂 Needles for acupuncture and now I’m going to be giving up coffee in addition to the sugar in the little bit of chocolate I eat once in a while.  Pray for me…. Coffee is my happy place.  Also, what do you drink instead? Caffeine free.

 First, don’t let the title fool you. You are BOTH having twins. This is VERY important because your priorities and expectations of life have just been dumped unceremoniously in the floor. Throw everything you know/knew about having a newborn out the window.  I want to make this suuuuuuper simple for you men. I know you don’t want to read an essay. So, here are the things that are changing for you.  1. You are BOTH having twins.  2. You have to help more now.  3. Say goodbye to video games and guys night every night of the week. Plan one night you get to chill and one night she gets to chill.  4. Make date night a priority.  5. Tell her how amazing she is. Every day. She’s going to feel like she’s bumbling along. (If you want more on how to help her feel loved, read “The Five Love Languages” and learn to speak her language).  6. Plan on getting up in the night with the babies two. It’s impossible to calm two crying babies at once and you will both...

 First of all, Congratulations!  Second, this is survivable! ;) I am still here to tell you about it! :)  I had a 4 year old, 3 year old and added newborn twins to the mix. I won’t lie to you and say it was easy. But, I will give you tips so you don’t walk into this blind. So, here goes!  1. CHOOSE to focus on the sweet moments.  2. Don’t plan on doing this alone! You’re going to have to be humble enough to ask for help. Lots of help! I was blessed with so many women surrounding me who helped in various ways. A list of things that helped:  a. meals  brought to you (like, for the first year. Not just a couple months)  b. someone to hold babies c. having someone clean d. having someone do laundry e. Someone to watch the older two while the twins and I napped.  f. A couple of people on call willing to come over and help if you get sick.  3. You can show my blog post, “My wife is Having Twins” to your husband. ;) Your husband will need to he...

Today, there is hope that has long been absent. The hope lost was not that in Christ and the promise of eternity with Him. He WILL hold us fast. He will not let His children go. But, rather, hope that this life on earth might hold the possibility of having fun with my children without feeling like I am walking through sand up to my shoulders to accomplish every little task. Hope that date night won’t just be a fight to stay awake and alert. Hope that I can do all the things to care for my family and husband with a little pep in my step. Hope that I can give so much more to those I love.   I am so incredibly thankful for my Mom taking over the household tasks the last two weeks as I slept and slept and slept…and had some of my worst days and slept some more and went to see the Doctor.  After much rest, and two acupuncture treatments, I have felt tired, but able to move for the first time in… well, I have absolutely no idea how long it’s been since I have felt like I can do...

 My Mom has been here helping out this week. SO. THANKFUL!  Drew is working a lot this week in addition to preparing to preach on Sunday. So she has been a blessing taking some things off his plate and helping me throughout the day with household things and school runs. Plus an extra nap instead of pushing through exhaustion has really been such a huge gift!  She even let me run to the grocery store on my own! 😃

 I’ve struggled with how to write this. If I should even share it. When I should share it. But here I am. Writing and sharing it. So, here goes.  Once again, I find myself leaning into God’s strength to make it through each day. He has carried me as my energy is severely lacking. The simple act of switching laundry leaves me feeling drained as if I have done a full day of deep cleaning the house. Taking a shower leaves me winded and exhausted. My skin has been erupting into rashes and my body has aches. It’s not contagious. No one else has gotten any of this. Doctors are helping piece the puzzle together and there’s no official diagnosis. Lupus was brought up by the urgent care doctor, but she didn’t have the tools to diagnose there. Upon further research, we realized that all of the pieces fit, although it isn’t official. The diagnosis through a traditional doctor would require ruling out a myriad of other things too. But, Lupus would explain so many of my health struggles fo...

 Today I am grateful.  I had the energy this morning to handle the bills, budget planning for March, sorting the mail, one load of laundry, and getting the kids to school.  When life takes the energy you once poured out in buckets, and leaves you wondering if you will have energy for any of life, you realize the miracle so often overlooked. God sustains us and gives energy for what is needed. It’s a miracle that I so easily forget. This one more day getting to watch my littles grow. This one more day doing a gazillion puzzles just to see their smiles when the picture is complete. This one more day to love the husband God has given. This one more day to strive to teach boys to be men. This one more day to seek God’s face for wisdom for where to invest the energy He gives.

  Pretty simple, no means no and stop means stop when teaching children boundaries. But this is also included for them. Even if you are playing, tickling, hugging, kissing... if they say stop YOU SHOULD STOP! If they say no, THAT MEANS NO! They deserve boundaries too. Forcibly making your children hug or kiss people doesn't give them any sense of security. It's important they learn to do whats comfortable for them. Making them hug relatives when they don't want to can confuse them to no longer be aware of their instincts or emotions. It teaches them they don't have control over their own bodies, if they don't have a say over their personal space of feelings what makes you think they will respect anyone else? No one is allowed to touch a child in anyway when they are uncomfortable. It implies the adult trumps them and how they feel doesn't matter. Their stranger danger instincts can be dismantling. Listen and understand your child's cues. For their safety a...

  I am loving this Fetch App! I don’t have to save coupons, they just automatically count if I purchased an item! I just take pictures of each receipt and I have points earned! If you use this link you get bonus points and do do I.

I am rich. At least I feel that way lately. I always thought maybe I wanted too much out of life. But, this life? The one I live? It’s not perfect. It’s messy and sometimes busy. But I am blessed beyond words. 4 little boys who are growing into caring young men (God, please fill in the gaps where my weaknesses fail.) A home to call my own with a big back yard, and good neighbors. It’s a dream come true! Two cars! You guys! We were a one car family FOREVER! And, the blessing of a vehicle to take kids to the Dr. or to school is just amazing! Bonus, it has fancy automatic doors! (It’s the little things, you know?) A Christian School for the boys! This was a dream two years in the making! And, it’s a pure miracle that it happened this year! So many mountains were moved to make this possible! And the ways they were moved just don’t add up in human perspective. It’s a straight up miracle! We are making ends meet and paying off debt! For so long I would cry over the bills every month bec...

  I have long looked at the Proverbs 31 woman and found her completely un-relatable. This woman seems to be wealthy. What makes me believe this? She has servants (vv.15), she is buying land (vv. 16), her household is clothed well (vv.21). But what else is this woman? This is a woman who is confident, wise, kind, and resourceful. She's not lazy, and she uses her time and money wisely. I used to look at her and believe that she was someone whose model I could certainly never live up too.  Then I read, "Girl Stop Apologizing" by Rachel Hollis. This girl laid out the roadmap to becoming a Proverbs 31 woman! You don't have to stay where you are! God equipped you with a passion and a calling in life! What is your dream? God put this dream in your heart. Gone is the hopelessness and paralyzing fear that keeps you from pursuing this! " For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,  for God gave us a spi...

I woke the 5 year old, David, this morning, "I didn't get enough sleep." He said rather annoyed. I replied, "You can take a nap when you get home". He retorted (very promptly for such a sleepy boy), "No I can't, I need to play and have fun!"

For a long time, I used cloth diapers. But, I struggled with feeling in over my head. Especially with twins. So, the thought of extra loads of laundry was just a tad overwhelming. However, I recently started considering it for a few reasons. First, because I don't know if I will be able to get my hands on any disposable diapers, so, I may HAVE to use cloth. Second, it really DOES save money!  I found large lots of covers for between $15 and $100 used! It costs about $60 a month to diaper twins. And, that's WITH finding coupons and working to find the best price! This is one Lot of diapers that's a great find! All you need to get started! Here are a few of my observations over the years: 1. I prefer the  BumGenius Flip Diaper covers because you can use pretty much any insert without the hassle of stuffing a pocket diaper . That's just annoying. Plus, you don't need as many covers because you can use one a few times if it's not soiled. Unlike a pocket or All...

Today I have been spending a lot of time Deep Cleaning. I'm working 10 minutes at at time because having 4 kids and long cleaning periods just don't work. LOL. I started with the high touch areas in my kitchen like doorknobs and oven/fridge handles.  I used my  Thieves Household Cleaner  . 2 capfuls in 1 gallon of water and put several rags in the bucket. I gave one to each of my twins (the older two are happily swinging on their giant tree swing outside. Because, boys... LOL. They LOVE 'exploring' together! Back to my process. I was using my microfiber cloths that I got cheap. They work ok. But, I LOVED the way the Norwex cloth just seemed to grab the dirt and do a more thorough job! My friend, Hillary is working hard to pay for the new van they need with a baby on the way, so I KNOW she would absolutely love to host a party for you online or just to have your support. It's times like these we need to support our small businesses. And, while Norwex is an MLM ...

I like to think that Motherhood looks more like my profile pictures. But we all know that's not how it really is, don't we? I mean, it's filled with scrambling for time to get a shower, constantly prioritizing the most urgent needs of the moment, racking our brains for wisdom on how to raise these sweet, adorable little cuties (AKA hooligans). ,and   We love them, don't we? But they drive us mad some days. Recently, another Mom shared something with me that has changed how I see motherhood. She shared Mom Core by Karen Stubbs with me. And, b eginning to understand the purpose of motherhood has been transformational for me.  As I listened to Karen speak, I felt life breathed back into me! She shares in a way that breathes the life of God's word back into Moms everywhere. Karen shares about learning to be an influencer in our children's lives, how God sees what we are doing as oh so valuable, the importance of not making our children our 'report card...

This year we decided to stay home and do like, NOTHING. It's been AWESOME! So relaxing. I am thankful for my crazy family. A lot of the time, that's a CHOICE I have to make. When everyone is crying and whining, and not listening, I get to choose Thankfulness. There have been so many times in this last year as a twin Mom and Mom that Thankfulness has eluded me. As I fight to climb up to a thankful heart, I fight lies that I often believe. Lies like, "God stuck me with twins", "I am a horrible Mom and Wife", "I'm all alone". This past Sunday, the Sermon was on Psalm 23. When I heard the passage to be covered, I did not expect the depth, tears, or heart work that God would do that day. The Pastor opened by sharing how David opens with claiming, "The Lord is my Shepherd". The tune of the rest of this Psalm is based on this one phrase. That God is MY Shepherd. Without that, the rest of the Psalm falls flat. He then began to share how G...

I have been trying to make healthier choices for myself and my family recently. if you're on Facebook, you may have noticed that I am on FB a little less. I am still here for sure, but, I have been focusing on my kids a lot more and took FB off my phone. :) It's been kinda nice not to get lost on FB and wonder where the time went... So, I check in like twice a day and try to share tidbits from my life. But, I have posted a ton less recently too. 🙃 I've been working towards getting rest, finding solutions, my own health (I picked the horrible Oreo addiction back up again! 😬 So that's my current thing to work on.). I have been working on consistent bedtime, making good choices for myself and my kids, getting back into God's word more consistently, and helping babies sleep so I can sleep. We are still working on that. I have done all the things and, I am adding the oils back in (I forgot to use them for a while to help babies sleep.... It all comes from being ...

I got home in time to really quickly kiss one kiddo who was still awake last night, my first born. I walked in to say goodnight. And, his heart showed. His first words were not how much he missed me, what he did, or any of that. He said, without hesitation, "Mommy, how was your dress? Were you the prettiest one there?" Oh my heart! This kid! I told him that a lot of us were really dressed fancy and everyone had been beautiful! His response, "how many were there?" Me, "a few thousand ." He then said, "You're giving me a headache!"  😂 🤣 Then he told me all about how he helped this person, and helped that person, and got to play with Uncle Josiah and Aunt Shiloh.  I'm really lucky to be his Mom! I am so grateful for a 5 year old who's heart is big, who is a visionary and wants to do big things and help people! # Boymom   # proudmom   # best5yearoldever