All Things Twins
How I coped with twins: An ode to twin clubs everywhere
I’ve written many posts about twins, including the excitement of finding out I was expecting twins and life hacks for parents of twins. But one of the main things people seem to ask me over and over again is this: “How did you cope with twins?” This question usually comes from someone expecting twins, or someone […]
Review: GIGI Bloks – the perfect gift for twins or siblings
I don’t very often do reviews on my blog anymore. They take a lot of time to put together and often the things I’m asked to review don’t fill me with enough joy (yes, you can apply the Marie Kondo decluttering technique to blogging just as easily as you can to your home!). To tempt […]
Top five bloggers: That make me laugh out loud
Following on from my recent post listing some of my favourite twin and triplet parent bloggers, it’s time to share my favourite funny parent bloggers. I’m a sucker for blogs that make me laugh out loud – and if they involve toddlers (especially toddlers who throw tantrums because you dared to give them the exact cereal they […]
Top ten bloggers: Twin and triplet parent bloggers
I thought I’d start a new series of posts to share some of my favourite blogs with you. I’ve always got articles saved on my phone (if you follow my Facebook page you’ll see I regularly share posts that I love). I read constantly – a mix of family, lifestyle, travel, blogging and entrepreneurial blogs – […]
Book: A Practical Guide to Twins, Triplets and More
I’m so excited to say that my book has now launched! You can buy it from any Amazon store. Here is the link to the UK version*:
Working mums with multiple children are rockstars
Before I had kids, I used to work hard. I worked long hours as a freelance web project manager, stayed late at my client’s office and gave it my all. I was never off duty – responding to emails as soon as they came in, regardless of the time of day or night.
Newborn essentials: What do newborn babies actually need?
While doing research for my book, Don’t Panic! A Practical Guide to Twins, Triplets & More (which is being launched VERY soon!), something that came up was that new mum’s often weren’t sure what stuff their newborn babies were going to need. After asking other mums for recommendations, here’s a suggested list of newborn essentials so you […]
Top five posts of 2015 on TalesofaTwinMum
I love looking over my analytics because, let’s face it, I’m a total web nerd. At the end of the year it’s a great exercise to look back over my blog content to see which posts have been the most popular. Drum roll…
Ultimate gift guide for new mums
In honour of my upcoming book, Don’t Panic! A Practical Guide to Twins, Triplets & More, I’ve compiled a gift guide for new mums. This is what other mums told me they wished they’d been given after having their babies. The list works for mums with one baby but I’d definitely suggest for twin mums you […]
Whether to split twins up at school or keep them together
This is a topical post seeing as lots of my UK friends found out what school their kids got into today. If you were one of the people sitting refreshing your inbox waiting for the news, I hope that you got the place you wanted.
Questions mums ask themselves daily
This post was originally going to be ten questions mums ask themselves daily, but then it snowballed as I realised there were a lot more than ten!! Life’s questions… Why do I bother having cushions on the sofa? (Please tell me your cushions spend more time on the floor than on the sofa too?) Why […]
Getting a DNA test for twins: Are your twins identical or non-identical?
I read a really great post by Emma from Crazy with Twins recently all about the results of the DNA test for twins she had done to prove whether her girls were identical or non-identical. Waiting for the results felt a little like waiting on the results from X Factor, only there wasn’t a winner – it didn’t matter […]
Travel with kids: How to survive long haul travel with three under five (including twins!)
The last time I travelled long haul, I found it really boring. I watched more movies than I thought possible and attempted to doze a few times. I read a book, drank wine, chatted to Husband and picked at the awful airline food. I obviously didn’t have children at the time. Fast forward five […]
The cutest things about twins
I created this blog to put an end to people telling me I had my hands full. Having twins isn’t a punishment, it really is a blessing. I may joke sometimes about the challenges we face (like my recent post about taking multiple children out solo), but I know that I’m super lucky to be a […]
How will I survive long haul travel with pre-school twins and a toddler?!
As regular readers will know, later this year we’re going to be making the move from the UK to Australia. This means long haul travel with twins who will be four and a baby just coming up to two. I’m pretty terrified, mostly because my boys can be terrors when they want to be. When they […]
Going out with multiple young children: My top five challenges
If you have multiple young children close together in age – or twins or triplets – then you’ll understand how challenging it is to take them all out on your own. After having a chat about it on Twitter recently, I realised that people who don’t have children, or who only have one child, often can’t comprehend the […]
Twin & triplet themed blog swap for #IBSD14 with Tots100 and Digital Parents
Tots100 in the UK and Digital Parents in Australia have come together to co-ordinate a blog swap to celebrate International Blog Swap Day. A huge number of bloggers are taking part, and it’s a great way to discover some new blogs from the other side of the world.
The best thing about having twins: The ordinary moments
In case you can’t tell, I love having twins. From the second I found out I was expecting two babies instead of one, I never had any doubts that it was going to be incredible. I never take for granted how lucky I was to carry my boys to full term, as I know too many […]
Sibling love: The ordinary moments
I couldn’t pick one ordinary moment from the last week as there were too many good ones, so you’ve got two instead! Both are along the theme of sibling love. The first is a cute kiss between T1 and E. A while ago, she started giving really big kisses to everyone. She hasn’t figured out […]
20 Life hacks for parents of twins
Seeing as life hacks seem to be everywhere at the moment, I thought I’d write one that might be useful for someone with twins. Having multiples can be mentally, physically, emotionally and financially challenging, but it’s also one of the most rewarding experiences too. Be kind to yourself and simplify your life, so you can enjoy all […]
My children are growing up! The ordinary moments
I managed to catch my cool duo before they went to their first birthday party ON THEIR OWN! Yes, that’s right, they went to a party and I left them there!
Ode to Southampton Twins Club #TeamHonk 18 & 19 January Southampton to Worthing
Looking back at the last post, I realise I didn’t give any context to how Lisa Congdon, Chair of Southampton Twins and Supertwins Club got involved in the #TeamHonkRelay. When I said she’d been ‘roped’ in, it actually couldn’t have been further from the truth (I didn’t have to tie her down til she agreed to […]
Taking twins to the dentists
Our last visit to the dentist is forever etched on my memory. Not in a good way. I was sure it would be easier this time…After all, the boys are so grown up now.
The differences between raising singletons and twins
I often wonder how I coped looking after two babies at once. Although E is an easy baby, I can’t imagine having two of her to chase after. There are so many differences this time around, both good and bad.
North v south: The great debate
At the weekend over a family lunch, we played a game I like to refer to as ‘arse’ versus ‘ass’. Ever heard of it? If your family is a mix of southerners and northerners then the chances are you’ve played it. In case you didn’t know, I’m northern.
The ordinary moments
I managed to snap this picture on my phone while we were at 100 Acre Woods in Hampshire during a forest walk yesterday. Few things make my heart melt like seeing how close my boys are. Yes, of course they batter each other’s heads in, argue about everything and throw food at one another, but they love […]
Are you a yummy mummy or a slummy mummy?
Lately I’ve been feeling a teeny bit inadequate. OK, it only lasted a few seconds but it’s the thought that counts. It’s because I’ve been reading lots of blogs and also chatting to other mums with kids of a similar age. Everyone else seems to constantly be doing craft, messy play or baking beautiful cakes, and they […]
Giving birth to twins by a planned semi-emergency C-section – my story
I’ve written about all of the stages of my pregnancy and birth with E, but because I started this blog when my boys were one I’ve never published their birth story before. I felt it was about time I did. I’ve said on here before that I had quite a tough time towards the end […]
The best things about my twin pre-schoolers
The boys are now three and a half years old. I haven’t done a post about twins for a while, so I thought it was about time I told you about why life has got infinitely easier as they’ve got older. Here are the things I’m loving about them at the moment…
Potty training twins: Success at last!
Wohoo – potty training is finally complete! (I talked about potty training phase one , phase two, potty training regression and potty training again last year). We tried T1 for a second time over half term and it was a success almost straight away. I’ve been hanging off blogging about it in case saying it out loud ruined everything, but […]
Finding out you’re expecting twins at the 12 week scan!
I’ve been wondering whether to publish the boys’ birth story seeing as you all know how E arrived in the world, but before I do that I thought it was important to share the day we had our 12 week scan and were blown away with the news that we were expecting twins…I wrote this post over a year […]
Wheels of fortune – tips for choosing a family car for twins or triplets
Are you expecting twins or triplets? Then you might be thinking about how you’re all going to fit into your car. When I was pregnant with my boys we spent hours deciding which double buggy to buy, but we didn’t think about whether our Rover was going to be big enough for four of us. […]
Potty training (again)
Over Christmas we decided it was time to *attempt* to potty train T1. He is a very different kettle of fish to his brother. He lives life in a whirlwind, and barely has time to stop to eat, let alone wee into a potty.
“At least you’re done now…” When is your family complete?
People tend to say very silly things to parents of multiples. I’ve written about it before here. I’m amazed at some of the things people come out with. Now that I have two toddlers AND a little baby I’m greeted with “ah, you’ve got your hands full” about a million times more than ever. But […]
Potty training twins: The saga continues with potty training regression
We really wanted to potty train both boys before E arrived in September as the thought of having three in nappies was terrifying. I’ve talked about it a lot here and here. But as only T2 was ready for it we concentrated on getting him dry over the summer. He did brilliantly, and after a blip where he […]
Preparing the twins for the arrival of their sister
When we decided to try for another child I didn’t really think about how the boys would cope with a little sister – I just took it for granted that they’d be as happy to meet her as we would be. What I did think about was how much easier I’d find it having a single baby […]
How to potty train twins: phase two
A few weeks ago I announced that the time had come to tackle potty training. Eeek. Follow the link to read how I prepared, and to see all of the things I bought ready for the epic journey. (This isn’t a sponsored post by the way and I didn’t receive anything for writing about any of these […]
What to pack in your hospital bag for twins or a singleton
I’ve been chucking things in my trusty travel rucksack for the past few weeks, as unlike my twin pregnancy (when I was packed and ready to go weeks before) I’ve been much more chilled out this time. I think it’s because I didn’t go into labour with the boys and had them at 38 +5 via […]
How to potty train twins: phase one
Yes, the time has finally come. My boys are two years eight months and although there have been many times I’ve considered starting potty training, until now I’ve chickened out. For me it was important to make sure the boys were old enough to follow simple instructions and take down their own trousers. I didn’t want to […]
The differences between a twin pregnancy and a singleton pregnancy
It’s been far too long since I blogged. I’ve been so busy trying to clear the junk out of our house and make space ready for our baby girl so we can turn our packed spare room into a nursery. I just *may* have gone a teeny-weeny bit overboard with the pink lampshades, curtains, rug, cushions, cot bumper – actually […]
Splitting up twins for the first time
Multiple Mummy is hosting the Multiple Mayhem Carnival this time around so pop on over to take a look at all of the posts by parents who, like me, are multiply challenged.
Multiple Mayhem Carnival – The stupid things people say to parents of multiples
It’s time again for the Multiple Mayhem Carnival. This time it’s being hosted by the lovely Rebecca from Here Come the Girls. It seemed like a good time to do a post about the annoying things people say when they find out you’ve got, or are expecting, multiples.
One boy is one boy. Two boys are half a boy…
I’d never heard this phrase before, but the second my friend mentioned it to me, I understood it with clarity. It goes something like this: One boy is one boy. Two boys are half a boy. Three boys are no boy at all.
Sleep deprivation is a form of torture (GroClock to the rescue?)
It’s a while since I posted about moving the boys to toddler beds, so I thought I’d update you on the progress. If you’ve seen some of my recent posts (Top five special things about multiples and I’ve got the bedime blues) you’ll see that although my boys love their beds, we’ve had a few problems.
Hell is other people – or more precisely, other people’s houses
Over the weekend we went to a family Christmas party at my grandparents in-law’s house. It made me realise how easy life is when you stay home with your toddlers. First of all, there were Christmas decorations everywhere. This is lovely, but we have already taken down the few we dared to put up as they […]
I’ve got the bedtime blues
I tuck you in and give you Bear, As I brush my lips to your hair. One at a time, I say goodnight, Before I leave and turn out the light. It’s the end of another fun-packed day, “Now it’s sleepy-time,” I say. “Please get some rest, both of you,” And I head downstairs […]
Shops need to rethink their double buggy/wheelchair access
This post has been brewing for the last two years but I’m finally about to boil over. I am sick of shops that are not accessible! I don’t mean little stores that have narrow doorways or limited space; I accepted two years ago that I’d no longer be able to get into those. I even waved goodbye to […]
Top five special things about multiples!
My beautiful boys turned two last week. I can’t believe how the time has flown, yet it feels like they’ve always been in my life. To celebrate, I’ve created a new meme that was not only influenced by my gorgeous family, but also a recent blog post by Tania from Larger Family that referred to a quote in the […]
Taking twin toddlers for a walk, tantrums and the terrible twos
Last week I decided to take the boys for a walk. I’ve taken them out walking before but only one at a time while the other was left in the buggy, or both together when Husband was around to help catch the sprinting toddlers. The last time I tried to go for a walk with […]
We put the twins in toddler beds last night…
Last night we put the boys in toddler beds. We’d been hoping to keep them in their cots for a bit longer but we’d got to a stage where T2 would wake up in the morning saying ‘stuck’ over and over again, and in his frustration he’d take his clothes off. If I didn’t catch […]