Diary of a Twin Mum
by Julia

Hi my name is Julia Brett (aka jubop)! I live in Bolton with my dh (John) and my three children, Finlay (5) and ID twin girls Rosanna and Caitlin who were 11 months old when I wrote this diary (quite a while ago now!). I am currently a SAHM. I did go back to work but left again at Christmas. I used to be a primary school teacher. I loved my job, but the logistics of childcare meant that it wasn't feasible to work. This means more time for Twinsclub!!!

Saturday 1st Jan 2005 Welcome to a new year!! Well, this is a great start to my twinsclub diary. I've got a chest infection and am on antibiotics. Caitlin woke for her milk at 6.00am so I got up with her (John dead to the world ….. well I suppose it was New Years Eve last night!). Rosanna woke at 7.00am, with Finlay. By this time I'm feeling so terrible that dh is getting violently shaken awake with plaintive cries of 'I really need some help here……….' Fortunately he took pity on me and took the three children downstairs to be fed and to play with their Christmas presents. I spent the whole day in bed popping pills and going through tissues. Happy New Year!!!

Sunday. Feeling much better today, I think the rest has done me good. I don't get much chance of a lie in usually, as when John is at work (he's off for Christmas at the moment) he's out at 7.00am. Today the children only wake up at 8.00am. After some hibernation under the covers in our bed by all of us (I think we really need to upgrade to king size!) we decide to get up. John's mum and dad pop round and offer to take Finlay to a play area for an hour We decide to brave Asda just before closing. We desperately need some provisions. It's great to have an extra pair of hands at the supermarket, I usually hate going shopping, even trying to track a trolley down is a hassle. I do the job of nipping and getting what we need whilst John stands there waiting to catch peoples eyes that notice the girls 'Yes, they are twins', 'They're 11 months old' etc etc. He loves all that. Meanwhile I'm in a good mood because I've found a 'meal deal' (y'know the bags with 2 curries, 2 portions of rice and some other bit and pieces in ) for £1.50!!!! Bargain.

Monday. Oooh bliss, girls only wake up at 8.30am. I bring them into our room for a cuddle and their milk. Shortly after I hear footsteps padding down the landing…. It's Finlay. After the girls have had their milk, they start crawling around the bedroom. As gradually more things are getting pulled on the floor I decide that it's time for us all to go downstairs. John doesn't agree with me! He's fast asleep (or pretending, I'm not sure which!) until I send in my crack team - that is Finlay with instructions not to stop tickling until he opens his eyes! Today I'm taking Finlay to the cinema to see The Incredibles. I'm taking full advantage of having dad at home to look after the girls. Mother and son are having a bonding day. He is really excited. We are going with a friend that I met at antenatal classes (when I was pregnant with Fin) and her daughter. She has got the hangover from hell, so I offer to drive. After watching the film, Fin and I go to Big W (Woolies) to swap a duplicated Christmas present. Eventually, after an unbelievable amount of debating time, he picks Ninja Turtles figures. By the time we get home the girls are tucked up in bed. We have pizza for tea. I put my feet up and watch TV while John sneaks out for a pint with his dad.

Tuesday. The Girls are up at 8.00am. I decided that it was dad's turn this morning… so John tucked them up in our bed with their milk. He's starting to get depressed as he's back to work tomorrow, after the Christmas break. It's nice to get some time together. We've decided today that we need a mass tidy up in the house, it's a tip! The decorations are coming down, I need my house back. All hands on deck.. Even Fin has been roped in. He wrapped up tinsel and policed his sisters, making sure they did n't grab anything breakable. For a lad of 5 he's a great big brother and loves his sisters to bits. I'm so proud of him. After the decorations and tree have gone, we've got loads of room in the lounge. This is great as Rosanna and Caitlin got V-tech walkers for Christmas and we really need the space. They are absolutely hilarious with these. Rosanna pulls herself up on her little skinny legs and manages to walk across the room with a HUGE smile on her face. She also manages a look around to make sure we're all watching and she gets a big cheer. Caitlin will pull herself up, smile, decide it's not for her, sit down again, then crawl off. We spend most of the day trying to find places for far too many toys. We need it EXTRA tidy as well because the girls are being baptised in 2 weeks. All the family will be coming round, so we don't want them thinking we bring our children up in an unhygienic environment! After a bath together, all the children are in bed by 8.00. Time to hit the G&T.

Wednesday. John is back at work today, so I'm on my own with the children for the next few days. The weather is terrible, rainy and windy, so we won't be going anywhere. Finlay is desperate to get to the park. The children were all up for about 8ish, after the girls had their milk we all went downstairs for breakfast. It's much easier now the girls can eat 'proper' food. I did them all the same breakfast, Cheerios and toast with jam. We spent most of the day playing in the lounge. Which usually means I have the role of referee sorting out disagreements over toys. They all usually want the same thing at the same time (yes, including the 5 year old!!). You can guarantee as soon as I leave the room something happens (fall, breakage etc.). Today's major incident was Finlay clouting Rosanna over the head (accidentally I'm assured!) in a rush to play with her V-tech baby walker. I heard the bang from the kitchen and couldn't believe it was the sound of her head hitting the walker. She was fine. Finlay has been banned from playing with the walkers (can you believe it?). Rosanna and Caitlin resisted my attempts to get them asleep at the same time today. So my plans for a nice relaxed family meal for when John returned home went down the pan (nothing new there then!). Managed to get tea made after he came home. We had a little play then got them all in the bath and bed (about 8ish again). I then began my major assault on the laundry pile……….. it's taking over the house. And I haven't even thought about arrangements for the Baptism……. Crikey.

Thursday. Today's major challenges are to try and get on top of all of those jobs that I've been meaning to sort out for ages (but haven't!). Mainly my battle with the wash basket (it's still full and the washer is on constantly) and to try and get some things loaded onto ebay to sell. I finished my antibiotics yesterday and am feeling much better thank goodness. The children were up again together about 8ish and breakfast was Ready Brek (or Asda's Ready Oats to be precise). I had the children dressed for a reasonable time (first time since the Christmas break started!). We had a bit of a play in the lounge until nap time for the girls. Finlay was then free to watch his Thunderbirds DVD and play with Tracy Island undisturbed. I took the opportunity to get the washer on again and get on the PC. I try desperately to sort the ebay stuff out, resisting the urge to check out the Twinsclub forum every 5 minutes! Rosanna and Caitlin had a homemade lamb and veg combo for lunch and they actually ate it…. Result! This afternoon Fin is banned from watching TV. He's watched far too much over the hols. So it's drawing and colouring on the dining table (after a bit of persuasion). We actually managed quite a civilised tea together, as I gave the girls a selection of finger food whilst we ate ours, another result. After the children are settled, John goes out for a pint (or two) to celebrate the birth of a friend's little girl. I manage to finish off the ebay stuff AND write out the baptism invites. I find the need to celebrate my success with a G & T.

Friday. Went to bed late last night, as I was up when John came back from pub and he filled me in on a few things. New babies are so exciting. So I am very, very tired this morning. I was determined that we were going to get out today as I've got loads of stuff to sort out. After the kids were dressed and fed this morning, I got all my bits and pieces ready to go out (nappies etc), we were ready to go after the girls had their morning nap. I managed to get to Next to order Christening shoes, order some food from the local bakery for the buffet after the baptism, buy a present for a friend of Fin's (he's been invited to a party) AND visit the inlaws… all in one afternoon! Result! When I got home John was already back from work. I gave the children their tea while John read the paper and we caught up on the news. It's mostly about the dreadful Tsunami disaster in Asia, we still can't believe that devastation it has caused. Even Finlay has been transfixed to the news reports on television. I've managed to get through most of the washing, there is only a couple of pairs of socks and undies in the wash basket, but you should see the size of the ironing pile!! We finish to week off with a takeaway. A Brett tradition for Friday evening, after the children are settled. Tonight it was a Chinese, lovely! I finish the evening on Twinsclub - I still have n't figured out how to post pictures! And so to bed!

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Page last updated: 29-Jan-2008

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