Mothering Organic Twins and Staying Sane

Once you have kids everyone wants to give you advice. The best piece of advice I have received from a fellow twin parent went something like this; many people will tell you what is best to do but really the right thing to do is what is best for your family. So here I go giving you all advice but please know that this is what works for my family and my daughters, your children may be very different!
By reading just one post of my blog you know that I am a green enthusiast, our home is all organic from food to laundry to cleaning. When the girls arrived I knew I had to find a balance in order to stay sane. Here are a few ways I have maintained my green lifestyle but with a twist.

Cloth diapering with Twins

I am a huge fan of cloth diapering but with twins it can become a little crazy! The amount of diapers we go through in a week is so high that I cannot fathom going with disposables all the time. However, I did find a great compromise. We have a Gdiaper system. What I love about the Gdiapers is you can choose to put a cloth insert or disposable insert in a cloth diaper shell. So far I have done all cloth at home and disposable when we are going out for a long day or at night since it holds more with out leaking. I love the system and highly recommend it for parents of twins who want to dip your feet in both pools. It also gives me the option of going all cloth if I ever become so brave.

Twin Scheduling

Many things bothered me about being in the hospital with the girls but this one takes the cake! So far every parent of twins that I have encountered has talked about "the schedule". It is discussed and lived SO much that it is almost a 5th person in the family. What I mean by a schedule is the twins have a set routine of eating times, diaper changing times, nap times, bath times and bed times. You can never waiver from the schedule or the whole system is destroyed. 

So here are my issues with twin scheduling. 1) My girls are VERY different people with separate personalities. One needs a lot of cuddling and attention and the other is happy to sit in a bouncy chair or stroller as long as she can see me. One of the girls wants to eat more often in smaller amounts and the other likes to eat a lot not as often. What I noticed in the hospital is heartbreaking to me. They would let a twin cry for 20 minutes when she was begging for food because it wasn't time for her to eat. It was everything in me not to stand up and do it myself! It just does not make sense to me to teach my children to push aside their natural feelings of hunger until it is time to eat or to force them to eat when they are not hungry. What is that teaching them? I would prefer to teach my girls to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full, what a great life skill to learn now! 

2) My life did NOT end when I became a mother. My girls go everywhere with me. I still do all the activities I did before they came home but it takes me about 2 1/2 times the amount of time it took before. The only exception is going to movies, I really hate it when people bring their babies to a movie and they cry the whole time! We get a sitter for that type of date! When you put your babies on a set schedule then the whole household revolves around the schedule. It dictates when you can sleep, eat and go to the restroom! It also prevents you from fun activities like going out to dinner or having a dinner party at a friend's house because you have to go home to bath and bed time. Instead of making them fit a schedule I made up I follow their schedule. When they nap I either use the time to get things done or I nap too. When they go to bed for the night I spend some time with my husband and then I go to bed too. When they are up in the morning I get up as well and we all have breakfast. I always have bottles ready to go so when they decide they are hungry I feed them as much as they want. I love what this communicates to my girls and this is what works for me. If you are a twin parent with a schedule that you love then that is what works for you but for me I like to keep our lives in an organic flow.

The Biggest Help in Staying Sane!

I cannot say it enough, keep a loud environment as much as possible! This is great for parents of single babies too. The girls had a loud environment in the NICU so I keep up the noise level when I came home. The result? My girls can sleep anywhere! They fall asleep in Target, other people's homes, the car and once they slept through a firework show! The beauty of this runs deep, I can do so many things when they sleep. I can run a load of clothes through the wash, run the dishwasher, vacuum the carpet, talk on the phone, watch a movie...and all with out waking them up! 

Wrap it Up

Indoor Art - Review and Giveaway

This week is dedicated to organic and eco-friendly toys. Today’s post will focus on our little indoor artists. From crayons to paint our children love color. Sadly it always ends up on their clothes and sometimes in their mouths. Even though most children’s art supplies say non-toxic they should still not be in baby’s mouth. It is best to go with an earth friendly and healthy alternative. They are not much more expensive and are fun and easy to use.

Paint Review...for our Little Picasso

I was walking in a cute town next to my home last weekend and stopped into a shop one of my friend’s recommended called Eco Carmel. Not only was this shop earth friendly, it also had some of the most unique eco items I have ever seen. When I saw these Glob paints I just had to try them out, I knew I was gearing up for the toy blog and thought I would give these a try so I could tell all of you how they work and it was perfect timing because these paints are great for egg decorating.

Glob paints are made from botanical extracts and natural food-grade ingredients. The colors smell good enough to eat! All you have to do is add water. Based on how much water you add the paint can be used as watercolors, paint for Easter eggs, wood stain and play dough. Once you mix your paint you can put it in the fridge for a few days and it will still work.
When I used these paints I mixed them in tiny glass jars and added water until I had the consistency that I wanted. I painted the top of my box where I keep my embroidery floss, as you can see they were easy to use! I highly recommend this product. You can follow the link below to their site to order your own or if you are close to Carmel, CA you can stop in to Eco Carmel.

Crayons...hopefully for paper and not walls

I love crayons, they are the perfect thing to pack in your play bag to keep the kids happy during “boring” moments. Even though I do love crayons I do not love the idea that the baby will put it in her mouth and receive some questionable chemicals. The solution? All natural options like soy crayons. For these I turn to Earth Grown Crayons on Etsy. Not only are these products natural, they are adorable!

   ~ Meet MELISSA of Earth Grown Crayons ~ artist, wife, mother of 3. 

  ~ Purpose ~ her grandfather’s farm began her love of soy, years later she uses it to create all-natural and biodegradable crayons. ~ Design Inspiration ~ her love of animals and life. ~ Products ~ her crayons are from American grown soy and are free of herbicides and pesticides and the pigments are non-toxic, even the packaging is from recycled materials! ~ Her Favorite ~ the fish crayons, they are fun and popular! ~ Find her Products ~ on Etsy, earthgrowncrayons.etsy.com. ~ Win a Set of Fish Crayons ~ to win these fun fishy crayons become a follower of this blog and comment below that you want to be entered to win! You can enter up to 5 times, see extra entries.

For extra entries:
1. add earthgrowncrayons to your favorites on Etsy by following this link, http://www.etsy.com/listing/65867918/walleye-fish-soy-crayons-handmade-all
2. add Anya’s Green Baby to your favorites on Etsy by following this link, http://Anyasgreenbaby.etsy.com
3. Purchase an item from either of the stores
4. Bring a friend to the blog and have them follow too!

Resources
Glob Paint: http://www.globiton.com/color_blends.html
Eco Carmel: http://www.ecocarmel.com/
Earth Grown Crayons: http://www.etsy.com/listing/65867918/walleye-fish-soy-crayons-handmade-all
Anya’s Green Baby Etsy store: http://Anyasgreenbaby.etsy.com


Come back for my next blog post on outdoor toys!

Play Time - Organic and Eco-Friendly Toys with Reviews and Giveaways!

This week is dedicated to organic and eco-friendly toys. I have to admit I hate toys, those plastic monstrosities are everywhere! Invading your living room, under your foot in a dark hallway and always on the floor of the bedroom. I feel that there is a time and a place for toys. My mother was a single mom who took me everywhere. I had to learn how to entertain myself for long periods of time. Together we came up with the play pack. I would pack a bag of goodies, crayons with coloring books, my favorite dolly, paper doll books a snack...you get the idea. I would be fine by myself for hours. When I took my first nanny position I continued this practice and had the children pack a play bag. To this day you will find crayons, paper, a snack, a drink and boo boo aid in any of my purses!

So as you can see I actually love toys, I just hate the plastic with tons of tiny pieces that breaks the minute you take it out of the box and was made in China by child labor toys! I fear holidays and birthdays to come when I have to lay down the law for presents but what else is a green momma to do? Over the next week I will review my favorite eco-friendly toys with NO plastics! I will also profile some of my favorite artists who hand create some amazing products and I will have two toy giveaways! Please visit my treasury on Etsy, http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d9a0f638b7f8eef34dba9c7/organic-and-eco-friendly-toys to see other organic toys that I love.

Today’s blog is for the babies and for that we turn to simple objects like stuffed animals and mobiles.

Stuffed Animals

I love simplicity and stuffed animals are in our life in moderation. One for the bed, one for the car and play bag. In my experience a baby quickly decides which is the favorite and then curses of plagues to you if you ever, ever loose it! To avoid this, buy two! Until then I like to have one at all times, it can be a nice distraction on those car rides when baby has had enough.

We have two, one that rattles and one that does not. Toys that make sound are heavily considered before entering our family, only soft noises are allowed. We have a small stuffed giraffe by Gund that makes a very soft, non-annoying rattle. It is made and stuffed with organic cotton. This one works well for distracting at grocery stores, restaurants and car rides. The other one is little monkey by miYim, he is also made from organic cotton and all-natural organic dyes. He is small enough to be leashed to a car seat or stroller for that cuddly toy on the go. As you can see in the picture, even the packaging is eco-friendly.

Mobiles

I once nannied a child who hated diaper changes. This baby would run from me and say “no, no no!” as his little poopy diaper sagged. The only way I could get him to cooperate was to become the tickley “Poopy Monster” so it became a fun game and to distract him with a mobile above the changing table. I still love mobiles, there is something so charming about them. If you are looking for that perfect statement or you have a willful child like I did a mobile is the perfect solution. We ordered the most beautiful mobile from The Starcraft on Etsy. When I contacted them about an interview and a giveaway the answer was YES! Here is a little information about those works of art and how you can win one for your baby (or just for you!)

~ Meet FRANCES of The Starcraft ~ artist, newlywed, mother of 2 little boys.   ~ Inspiration ~ her grandmother’s vintage creations and her customer requests. ~ Products ~ her adorable mobiles are all handmade with love using recycled papers from books, newspaper, vintage map papers and music papers. 
~ Her Favorite ~ her natural no-wax star mobiles.  
~ Find her Products ~  on theStarcraft.etsy.com, use coupon code “musthavemore” to get 20% off! 

 ~ Win a Mobile ~ to win this adorable mobile from The Starcraft become a follower of this blog, follow the link above to add thestarcraft to your favorites on Etsy and comment below that you want to win. (www.etsy.com/listing/67689473/ursa-minor-w-spheres) The winner will be randomly chosen from the entries on Monday 4/11 at midnight (PST). Believe me, this one is worth it!

Come back tomorrow for some information on artistic toys like crayons, chalk and paint...and of course, more giveaways!

Links
Etsy toy treasurey: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d9a0f638b7f8eef34dba9c7/organic-and-eco-friendly-toys

Frances at The Starcraft: theStarcraft.etsy.com 

Giveaway: www.etsy.com/listing/67689473/ursa-minor-w-spheres

Gund: http://www.gund.com/

miYim: http://www.miyim.com/