I love having twins.  I really do.  But sometimes it is hard to make sure everything is fair.  What I do for one I like to be able to do for the other.  Sometimes it is just not possible.

I volunteered to go on the field trip with the 4th grade class.  I thought about requesting both of my boys but in the end I didn't.  Jay was able to pick who he would have in his group.  E had not heard who's group he would be in. 

I had 5 boys in Jay's class.  One of my friends was also chaperoning and she had 5 boys.  We decided in the very beginning that we were making our boys all stick together. 

The boys were well behaved on the bus ride over.  We were running a little late.  As soon as we got to the science center, we were shuffled to the planetarium.  I saw E and was able to sit next to him.  He unfotunately was not with ONE of his friends.  It made me a little upset.

I asked E if he wanted to hang with my group and after waffling a bit (yes he is not such a good decision maker) he said yes.  Jay's teacher was sitting next to me and I asked her if it would be ok.  She hesitated a bit but eventually said yes.  This teacher also has twins who are just 1 years old.  I told her that she would see that it is not always easy. 

E was very quiet the entire time.  We didn't have much time to roam.  We had to eat early and then head to the 3D show.  Once we left the 3D show, E decided to head back to his group.  The field trip was ok.  We did have several people that we had to watch closely because they kept wandering.

When the boys got home from school, E was very quiet.  I didn't really think anything of it.  He acted strangely at basketball practice.  The husband and I discussed his behavior and decided I would speak to him before bed.

I spoke with him and finally got him to admit something was bothering him.  It took a while.  His brother was at a sleepover/birthday party.  I thought he was upset at that.  He ended up telling us that his feelings got hurt when he went up to the boys in Jay's groups and they told him they didn't want him in their group.  I had heard a little bit of teasing going on but they were just joking with him.  I tried to explain that to him but I am not sure he agreed.

I felt guilty because I feel like I pushed him into staying with us.  Next time I will ensure that I have both boys in my group.

Speaking of Jay's sleepover, that did not go very well for the parents. 

I dropped Jay off and the Mom mentioned that her son got in trouble because she found out that her son was stealing matches and starting (or trying) fires in the woods.  It took a lot for me to not walk back in the house and take Jay home.

The Mom called the Fire Marshall and has enrolled her son in a fire safety class.  Good punishment!

I picked up Jay a little early on Saturday because we had a busy day planned.  The Mom looked at me and said that she felt Jay was really trying to do the right thing but the kids were awful.  They had not slept at all.  They were so loud (they slept in the basement) that she was down there at 2 am and at 5 am.  She could not get them to calm down and sleep.

Jay mentioned that he was trying to sleep on the sofa but someone got a glass of water and poured it on his head.  He was really trying to sleep and the other boys were goofing off.  I do believe him because he needs his sleep and is not used to staying up that late. 

Sunday is when we had a discussion about when you should talk to your parents if your friends are doing something that you know is wrong. 

Fun times!

Recovering

Having 2 blizzards back to back is not a good thing. The winds were fierce and snow was blowing all over the place. It started snowing Tuesday evening and the REAL snow came on Wednesday. It didn’t stop until late Wednesday evening. They were begging people to stay off the roads. I don’t know where you would go in the weather because everything was closed.


This is what it looked like for the majority of the day.

Our deck was so packed with snow.

My husband shoveled Wednesday evening and then paid some kids to help him finish the bottom of the driveway. I have to admit shoveling is hard work. We will be investing in a snow blower for the next season. As you can imagine, there is not one available in this area right now.


This is what it looked like on Thursday.

The city has worked hard to get streets cleared. Unfortunately, our neighborhood has been neglected. Our street is not fully cleared. We probably have maybe a lane and a half open (and lots of bumps of ice). Up until yesterday it was mainly just a sheet of ice. Our street did get a layer of salt dropped today but still no sign of a plow.

I was finally able to get out of the house on Friday after being cooped up for 7 days. My husband was driving my SUV to work. I had a babysitter scheduled on Friday and was so happy to hear that she would still be able to get to our house. I fled the moment she walked in. It felt nice to be out and about again.

I did have to cancel a facial appointment that I had made but was able to keep my hair appointment. A good cut and color makes such a difference. Then it was off to run errands for the party.

Yes, I decided to keep the rescheduled party on for Friday evening. I purchased a Murder/Mystery party from this website. I have to admit I was skeptical about purchasing something like this on the Internet. I looked at it and researched different parties on the Internet but kept coming back to this one. I wanted to celebrate the twins’ birthday but did not want to spend so much money like we have in the past.

The party was fun and the kids had a great time. The kids were a little wild but keep in mind that they have been out of school and probably cooped up for a week also. They did a great job with deciphering the clues that led them to the next. We did have to help on some. They figured out that EE and Jay were both murdered by their Father. We had to help them figure out who did it.

Can't believe my sweet little (ok, not so little) guys are 8 years old already. Where does the time go?

The multiple factor - School

Over 7 years ago when we found out I was pregnant with twins we were ecstatic to say the least. We had been trying to get pregnant for almost 3 years, two years on our own and 1 year with a Reproductive Specialist. There were lots of tests (of course everything came back fine). The tests were followed by IUIs (intrauterine insemination). Finally on the 4th go around it finally took and as the Dr. put it "we had snake eyes". Oh we were slightly nervous about having 2 babies, but I had no idea just how many issues arise from having multiples. The issues go beyond having two babies to feed, change and take care of. The issues I am referring to relate to when they get a little older.

The boys started preschool when they were 2 years old. They remained in the same class through all their years in preschool. I had the option to separate them during their last year. The husband and I discussed it and decided to keep them together. They never relied on each other in class and most teachers told us that if they didn't know better they would not have thought they were related. In looking back, I am so glad that I did not separate them. It was enough to keep up with one classroom at the time.

Why would I have separated them in their last year of preschool? The school system in most states requires that twins/multiples be separated. There have been many states who have started petitions to give parents a say. Although I signed the petition in NC, I don't have much energy on this issue. I have always considered my boys as separate individuals.

The boys started school last year in NC, we moved in November. In that school system, the teachers did not work off of the same lesson plan. Therefore, the boys were doing different activities in class and one had homework and the other did not. When we moved to Md. in November, I requested that the boys be put in the same class. I thought it would be difficult moving to a new state and starting a new school after the beginning of the year. The head teacher asked me to separate them as all classes were already full and it would be a burden to put 2 more children in one class. At her request, I decided to separate them. All of the classes are on the same lesson plan. The homework for each class was the same, which made it easy on me.

I have no issues with them being separated. It is good for them.....they are with each other all the time. But it becomes difficult when the classes have a special event where Mom is invited and she can't split herself to be in two places at one time. Last year, the Kindergarten class had an Author's tea. I, along with several other Moms, was running from one class to the other so that we could see both of our children. I envied all the other parents who could actually sit and watch their child.

This month the boys will be getting medals for completing their summer learning book. The ceremony will be on Monday October 27th. It starts already. At least this year the boys classes are right across from each other.....so I will just have to take a few steps between the two.

This is just one of the issues we have been faced with....there are a few more.