Potty Training Twins – What Worked for Us

We did it! We have finally potty trained the twins!!!! When I tell you I have never felt more relieved or that a weight was lifted off my shoulders, you better believe me! I had tried a few times earlier in the year and the whole intention in getting a puppy was to train everyone at the same time, but I gave up every time. I was not ready. I honestly don’t even think they were either or they just didn’t care.

I am not sure if it is a twin mom thing or not but things that came so easily for me with my oldest have become huge mountain like tasks and I avoid a lot of things because of that. I will avoid going to the park alone with all 3 some days because it is just too much. For me, potty training was just another feat that I was just dreading. I mean, two times the accidents, two times the mess and just double the stress… no thank you.

But we did it – and I am proud to say we have been accident free since day 4 – for BOTH of them!. We went with “3 day method” loosely since we tried that with my oldest and it didn’t quite work but I wanted to use some sort of system as a foundation. Can you tell I like structure and routine?? If you don’t know what the 3 day method is – you basically hunker down for 3 days and you let your littles roam naked and put a timer on and go to the potty every X minutes. Our plan was to hunker down, use underwear since it was too cold to be naked, and we used the timer for a bit but that didn’t work for us. After the first day they understood the feeling of needing to go so us asking every 30 minutes was just annoying.

Here are a few things we did leading up to the weekend that helped:

We talked about it A LOT like it was some sort of exciting vacation or huge treat. We made it sound so cool and being that Jaxson especially is in is “my big brother is my hero phase” I leaned on that and told him he was going to be just like Logan. Sloane just follow suits usually so she was the wild card going into this.
We went to the store the night before and picked out whatever design of big kid underwear they wanted. Slight hiccup we had was that Jaxson wanted Batman and they didn’t have his size so a lot of persuasion that Spider-Man is equally as cool was done to avoid and more meltdowns.
They got to pick out a small toy, which I specified would be for the end of the weekend once they can go on the potty. That didn’t work out so well. They demanded the new toys after a few times going and I gave in. I give up a lot to avoid double tantrums. We just kept the toys in the washroom, and they got to see them when they went to the washroom only. So, a small win on my end.
Dumb luck with timing. We had potty trained Logan at 3 and it took him a solid week to get the hang of it and wore nighttime underwear for a few years after still. Every kid is different and I really don’t think you can “know they are ready.” Jaxson and Sloane had no preference whether they wore a diaper or not, they just didn’t care. When we also talked about using the toilet, they were so far from interested or showing any signs. Hell, we have a kid potty, and they would wear the bowl as a hat rather than take interest in leaning how to go on the toilet.

I guess looking back the failed attempts weren’t really a total failure. Maybe all the times trying was just prep for when we did follow through. That is at least what I am going to tell myself. A few days of consistency with some awesome new underwear and we have ourselves two potty trained three-year old’s!

Decorating for the Holiday with Little Ones

Generally, we lucked out and our children were never at a grabby stage when it came time to decorate for the Holidays each year. We did make some adjustments and did somethings differently to accommodate curious hands – and here they are.

Less is More

This is the first year I have decorated fully. Past years I have put out minimal decorations and especially didn’t put out anything I couldn’t replace. Like those hand me down ornaments or the sentimental décor… I would either put it out of reach or don’t put it out. The top of our tree is where we put our traditional ornaments, so they are safe.

Cheap Tree Ornaments

We get the big container from Walmart of “shatter resistant” balls and let the kids decorate themselves. That way they feel involved and then they don’t want to mess with it and ruin their masterpiece. I also have come to terms that my tree does not look pin-stagram friendly and I am ok with that.

Give Grace

As much as everyone panics about the decorations being ruined, you should also keep in mind that you are changing their environment and bringing new things in. It is only natural for children to be curious and want to explore the new lights, textures and smells. One year my younger sister had a felt tree on her wall instead of a real/fake one and it was fantastic! A great alternative when space is an issue, and you have little ones. They cut out and made ornaments and it was such a great tree.

Side Note – in my experience our puppy and the tree was worse than the kids! She loved to steal ornaments and then hide right behind the tree where she was just out of reach. Hopefully she has outgrown that this year.

Happy Decorating!

Eloping VS Wedding

We eloped on a slope

In a pre-pandemic world, my husband and I decided to elope. We had been together for 10 years once we finally tied the knot and to anyone who is hesitant with getting married due to costs or the current state of the world, I would a million percent recommend eloping. Here are a few reasons that swayed us on the decision:

Getting an intimate ceremony

We opted for just my husband and myself with our officiant and then our photographer and pilot as our witnesses. We loved the idea of having just the two of us, exchanging silly and sentimental vows in private.

Cost

The cost was a HUGE factor for us. The elopement itself was around $2,000 which included the officiant, the photographer, the wedding paperwork, the pilots, and the flight to the top of a mountain! Seems like a no brainer to me. The venue rental for our “afterparty” was $200 and we ordered pizza from a local place and got food from Costco for under $800. Even my dress was under $300 and my hair and makeup I had done at the local salon on the morning of. In total we paid around $4,000 give or take and even that may seem like a lot of money for some people, but we were not interested in spending tens of thousands of dollars on one day.

Our Photos

Like come on. We got married at the top of a mountain and the photos were amazing. I remember when we were weighing the option on whether we should elope Jayson had asked me what the things are you absolutely want out of your “wedding day.” I answered with “I want to wear a wedding dress and I want BOMB ASS photos.” We got those, for sure. Also, so random but our wedding photographer ended up being our brother and sister in laws photographer a few months later. She also killed those photos!

Doing Something Unique and Unconventional

Nothing about my relationship with Jayson has been normal. In the best was possible. We have been defying the normal stages in a relationship since the beginning. We bought a house together, before ever living together, we got pregnant shortly after, we tried for a second baby unsuccessfully and then we got married. The best part about the elopement packages through Young Hip and Married is there is other options other than the helicopter elopement to suit what you are looking for.

Who knows, small micro weddings and eloping will become the new thing!

Closet Hack for So My Oldest Will Help With Laundry

When we moved into our new house, we had bigger rooms for the kids and rather than using the dressers like we did before I really wanted to use the closets as best, we could. A bonus for us was that the closets each had organizers in them already. I just had to fine tune it so our 6-year-old could help us put away laundry.

Here are two things we do to get my oldest son to help me with folding his laundry and putting it away.

We Use Small Bins to Organize Clothes.

Three kids translate to a lot of folding laundry and putting it away. I feel like I can never keep onto of it, but I knew I needed some hacks for my sanity. For us, clothes are quickly folded (something else he can help me with) and put into bins. I got square bins from Amazon and put them in the closet on the shelves and shorter ones from the dollar store. Two bins are for pjs at the very top, then one is for pants, one for shorts and one each for tees and then long sleeve shirts/ tanks depending on the season. We also have a stool so he can reach the top shelf.

Then sweatshirts and button ups get hung up which I usually end up hanging. We also keep bed pads, nighttime underwear, and bed sheets on the top shelf for easy access.

We Do Not Fuss About Perfectly Folded Clothes or Perfectly Organized Closets.

I know it sounds sloppy and is not the most aesthetically pleasing for most people but for me efficient is the name of the game. This method sets him up for success and reassures him that what he is doing is helpful and great!

Next project… the twin’s closet. I think I would rather potty train them!

Why We Decided to Elope

Getting An Intimate Ceremony

We opted for just my husband and myself with our officiant and then our photographer and pilot as out witnesses. We loved the idea of having just the two of us, exchanging silly and sentimental vows in private.

Cost

The cost was a HUGE factor for us. The elopement itself was around $2,000 which included the officiant, the photographer, the wedding paperwork, the pilots, and the flight to the top of a mountain! Seems like a no brainer to me. The venue rental for our “afterparty” was $200 and we ordered pizza from a local place and got food from Costco for under $800. Even my dress was under $300 and my hair and makeup I had done at the local salon on the morning of. In total we paid around $4,000 give or take and even that may seem like a lot of money for some people, but we were not interested in spending tens of thousands of dollars on one day.

Our Photos

Like come on. We got married at the top of a mountain and the photos were amazing. I remember when we were weighing the option on whether we should elope Jayson had asked me what the things are you absolutely want out of your “wedding day.” I answered with “I want to wear a wedding dress and I was BOMB ASS photos.” We got those, for sure. Also, so random but our wedding photographer ended up being our brother and sister in laws photographer a few months later. She also killed those photos too!

Doing Something Unique and Unconventional

We just celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary and I loved the little walk down memory lane and getting to relook at all these photos.

Road Trip Tips for 3 Kids with Only One Parent

We road trip A LOT. With living in Kelowna, we end up going back and forth from the coast to see family when we have the time. This past Family Day long weekend I made the adventure with the kids and doggo solo, since the husband was working and here is what I did to make is easier on myself:

We Had a Park Session Before Leaving

This is KEY for my kids. They need the fresh air and to burn off all their silly energy before getting into the car. I am lucky enough that my mom lives down the road from a decent park and one that the kids enjoy going to. Bonus points its dog friendly!

I Rearrange the Van Seating

We configured the van so I could reach one twin and my oldest was “captain” of the second twin. With folding down one of the stow and go seats it also gives Shadow space to move about and not feel so contained. This also means I put certain kids in certain spots to minimize disaster. Sloane is closer to the front because she can be the needy one, Jax is the low key one, so he gets to sit in the back with Logan and the big guy himself gets the window seat because that is all that is the only seat left for him!

MINIMAL STOPS

We stopped only once for coffee (obvs), bathroom/diaper break and a quick snack, not a whole meal. I feel like this helps us get back on the road quicker and does not have us wasting time sitting to eat somewhere. If we do need to eat a meal, we will just set up a picnic in the open space in the van and enjoy lunch that way.

I Packed the Real Good Snacks

My kids are happiest when eating if you have not already caught that. So, when we do road trips, I make sure to bring the REAL good snacks and for us those are pouches, cookies, and lollipops.

Keep Things in Arms Reach

I kept everything on the front seat in arms reach of me for if I needed to grab anything. If Logan needed anything for Jax in the very back, I would just throw is back to them. He loved that part the most.

Pre-Select the In Van Entertainment

We chose movies before hitting the road each time just in case we needed to swap. Fortunately, the drive down to the coast is not too long and we usually do not have to swap movies until we have stopped for bathroom breaks, but I like to be over prepared.

We went to the Vancouver Aquarium with all the cousins and seeing their faces and how happy they were to spend an entire weekend together made the trip so worthwhile!

5 Tips for How I Got My Newborn Twins to Sleep

With a husband that worked on graveyards and slept during the day, sleep was VERY important in our household. These 5 simple tips which include must have products helped us achieve some much-needed slumber.

Prior to finding out we were expecting twins I had every intention of co-sleeping, breast feeding on demand and generally doing things different than I did with my oldest and really savour the moments. Boy did things change quickly.

Believe it or not, a schedule

I lived and died by a schedule. Feeding schedule and napping schedule right off the bat. I would look on Pinterest every 4 weeks for a “typical X age schedule” and adjust accordingly.

I followed wake windows and recommended hours of sleep. Yes, I broke the cardinal rule of “don’t wake a sleeping baby” but let me know you honey. Twins make their own rules. I also learnt that good daytime sleep begets good nighttime sleep. If the twins got their naptimes in accordingly then nighttime would be a bit easier. SIDE NOTE: babies just wake up early, and that can be hard to change. So, accept that they will be going to bed early and waking up early.

Sleep Sacks

Sleep sacks. These were a huge game changer. We used the Nested Sleep Sacks that have a small, weighted egg shape that rests on your little one’s chest. Pro Tip – buy the ones on sale or clearance to save some extra money. You will be the only ones seeing them anyways!

Blackout Curtains

Babies sleep well in super dark rooms. I read some blogs that it should be so dark during the day that you can’t see your hand in front of your face. That seemed a bit much for me but we made it as dark as possible. I bought the Dream Art Portable blackout curtains from Amazon that way we had them when we traveled.

White Noise Machine

We used a fisher price one and kept it on the lowest volume setting so that the twins wouldn’t become “dependent” on the sound. Even now at 2 ½ years old they could care less about the sound but in those early days it was so needed for masking all the other noises in the house. Here is a link for one similar to the one we used.

I hope these tips help you whether you have multiples or a singleton get some sleep advise and gain positive sleep habits.

There are 2 heartbeats!

The feast de resistance… how we found out we were having twins!

So to preface, we had been trying for another since before Logan turned 1. Yes we had to take fertility treatments to conceive but in no way was this a result of the treatments. Apparently the twin gene runs in my family and no one told me until I was about 20 weeks along 👍🏻

With all that being said each month I became this period/ symptom hawk and leaned on a co-worker a lot with my “oh this may be the month”, “this spotting means nothing”, “it’s a day late (when in reality it wasn’t)” etc etc. Conceiving is hard and having troubles doing so is harder, if you have had troubles please know that you are not alone.

We had just got back from San Fransisco and it was Halloween then remembrance day weekend and we had planned so much into the month of November. One busy weekend I remember we went to Disney on Ice and I was going to the bathroom every 10 minutes and I kept getting the feeling I was about to start my period since it was due that day. So that Monday morning I was at work and my trusty co worker asked how I was feeling and I said the usual blabble that “this could be the month” and by mid week I took a test and it was positive! Hallelujah!

Side note – how I told Jayson.I left the positive stick in the bathroom and at the time he was working graveyards so he never saw it before he went to bed and when I got home from work I asked him to look in the bathroom. Still asleep and delirious he looked and said “cool.” So great, right?

The first trimester had been ok for me compared to Logan but I quickly noticed some differences that should have been a red flag right away. I was so unbelievably tired. So tired that I would come home from work at 5, and easily sleep for an hour. I was eating SO much food and was constantly hungry. I also had this pit in my stomach the entire time that something was wrong. I chalked it up to anxiety about miscarrying. We had waited so long for this that the thought of starting back at square one was just terrifying for me. Once I got my ultrasound appointment scheduled I was begging Jayson to come with me, I still had that awful feeling in my stomach that something wasn’t quite right and that I needed him there. Mr Cool and Collected assured me everything would be ok and that I was over reacting.

The day of the appointment I asked one more time if he would come but with him working graveyards he was supposed to be sleeping so I just sucked it up and went alone. As we were crossing paths the night before he gave me a hug and said “if there is anything wrong with the baby, you call me right away no matter what time it is.” I then said ok, “or if it’s twins.”

Side note: with Christmas holidays, by the time I got my first ultrasound I was about 11 weeks.

my appointment was in the morning so I had just gone during my lunch break. I got all set up in the room and the tech started doing her thing. She started with small talk, like what I did for work, what I was doing that day, did I have other children. Nothing too alarming or out of the question. But she did ask me a few times if I had someone with me. After she let me take a quick bathroom break we continued and she asked me again, “do you have someone with you today?”, “are you just going back to work after this” and “how old is your son again?”… I answered, again, and oblivious to what was going to be said next.

My belly was all lubed up again and at that point I was getting worried that something was wrong since the tech wasn’t particularly chatty. She got me positioned so I could see the screen and she said “so I have some news for you…” and without skipping a beat I said “let me guess, it’s twins?” (Half sarcastically) and she confirmed and I just laughed. What else can you really do?!

She gave me some photos and off I went back to work. As soon as I got out of the appointment I called Jayson immediately. He answer the phone so worried and asked “oh no, what’s wrong with the baby?!” I assure him that everything was ok and that the BABIES were healthy. BABIES! Needless to say he hasn’t slept or trusted a phone call from me since.

Elope on a Slope

On Saturday March 3^rd, 2018 Jayson and I drove to Pitt Meadows, hopped on a helicopter, and got married overlooking Pitt Lake in a snowy mountain chapel.

In 2017 I lost my nana, and I did not want to miss out on a wedding with my one still living grandparent and Jayson felt the same way about his. I started looking at small wedding packages and stumbled across eloping. Once I mentioned a helicopter, snow and just us… Jayson was sold! The package through Young Hip and Married included an officiant, a photographer and then our pilots were our witnesses. The day was perfect. It had snowed in the higher altitude the night before but weather when we woke up was sunny and warm, considering it was only the beginning of march. After we had our private ceremony we did meet family and friends for a party at the Fisherman’s Hall complete with pizza for dinner and Cro-nut Cake Tower (which I didn’t even get a chance to eat). We danced the night away at the hall and drank Hey’alls and a variety of beer that we had stocked up on from Point Roberts gas runs.

Was this what I had always envisioned? No. But I would not have done it differently. We are also talking about getting re-married for our 10-year anniversary in our new backyard – so stay tuned for that!

Dress: David’s Bridal | Suit: Le Chateau | Rings: Lawlor’s | Officiant: Erika with Young Hip and Married | Photos: Emily Nicole Photography | Transportation: SKY Helicopters

Back At It

Well. A lot has happened since Halloween 2017…

Jayson and I got married. Finally.

Went on out first big family trip to Disneyland.

Went on our first kid-less trip to San Francisco.

Got pregnant again.

Found out it was twins.

The world went into lockdown when the twins were 5 months old.

November 2020, we moved to Kelowna. YOLO.

I have a lot to catch you all up on and lots to talk about from everything kid life related, dealing with quarantine and infant twins and uprooting your family during a global pandemic.

This Hardie Party is just getting started.