If Money Grew on Trees, I Would Still be Broke!

Raising twins is hard.  You can take all the preparation classes and read all of the books that you want, but nothing will prepare you for the struggle that you will encounter once you bring those sweet angels home from the hospital.
Everyone tells you that the babies will eat every 3 hours and it will be nice and easy and they will latch on and nurse without any issues, because nursing is the best option.  Also, if you give your baby formula then they will likely go to jail by the age of 18.  Not to mention their IQ will be seriously low because the nutrition that they get from you is obviously the only thing that contributes to their brain development.  Yea, well you will agree with them, until you come home with two crying babies who will not latch on to you.  Even if they did, you are not a dairy cow and cannot produce enough milk to feed two babies 8 or more times a day.
I did not want to believe the doctor when he came in and said, "I hope you are planning to supplement with some formula, because feeding two is extremely difficult".  No way, not me!  Not a college athlete, who managed to work and go to school while pregnant with twins (even when I could no longer fit in the desk).  I thought I had already been through the hardest part.  Well, contrary to what I thought would happen, these sweet little babies did not want to nurse.
Okay, plan B, go buy some formula.  $16 per can, you cannot be serious!  And I will use at least one can a day!  Oh boy, I did not budget for this, and I am also not working!  A full year worth of formula, sometimes topping out at 2 cans per day.  It was enough to put us out of our 2 bedroom city apartment, and into a 1 bedroom apartment 2 hours away from what I called "home".
Well that covers formula, but did I mention the diapers?  Those are the real kicker.  At least formula is done at 1 year, diapers, however go on 2 years and more realistically 3 years.
So thank goodness we had hand-me-down clothes from cousins and friends!  Without the help from others, our ship would have sunk long ago.  But here we are, 2 1/2 years old and still going strong.  The struggle is still there, but we are surviving and enjoying life!  In my opinion, that is all that matters!  Besides, if money grew on trees, I would still be broke!

Korean Beef and John Wayne, with a Side of Tears

"What's for dinner?"  The age-old question that every mother dreads!  Ugh, well let me see what I can throw together while the girls are climbing all over me and trying to touch the hot stove.  Now, I could always order pizza, but since I have a stomach ulcer trying to heal that is not the best option.  Yes, a stomach ulcer, that is what having twins does to you!  That along with copious amounts of caffeine and endless stress!  So, again Pinterest saves the day!  Korean Beef sounds easy enough, oh and it is a budget meal!  Perfect!

Meat and rice, what more could my family ask for right?  Off to the store I go, luckily without the girls! (big thanks to their "koko" for watching them)  We will skip over the boring details of going to Food Lion and spending my life savings on a weeks worth of groceries, even after using coupons.  So here we are, dinner time.  The girls got some KFC to-go cups because they are impatient and, what kid doesn't love chicken and potato wedges for dinner?  And surprise, Daddy is home early!  Ah, I can finally have a break and the girls can climb all over someone else for the next few hours.

I brown the ground beef with some garlic and sesame oil, and make the rice, then finish off the recipe by creating a sauce with fresh ginger and chopping some green onions.  My husband takes a taste, and he loves it!  This recipe is a keeper!  The girls are dying to have some rice because they saw me making it, and they love that almost as much as french fries.  I make them a bowl and try to explain to them that it is steaming hot.  They do not care, and here come the tears.  I am trying to teach and protect you from burning those sweet little mouths.  Why do you hate me?  I desperately look at daddy in hopes that he has a better idea to keep the girls content while their second dinner cools down.  Potato chips!  Yes, that is the answer!  All is well again in the Blaisdell household, and the girls settle down with daddy and a movie.  

John Wayne, yep that is what my husband puts on to watch with the girls.  Surprisingly they are completely engaged in the movie.  Must be the horses, or maybe John Wayne reminds them a little bit of their daddy!  Either way, the kids are quiet and content, and that makes me happy.

Bed knobs and Battle cries

Remember those sweet little toddler beds from earlier?  What the companies do not tell you is that your child may rip everything off of their beds, flip the mattress up, take off all of their clothes (including the diaper) and proceed to play with their toys.  Yes, those same toys that you had to bring to them one by one as they competed with each other for the most toys in one bed. But forget the bed companies not warning you about this, what about the other parents you talk to?  "My child loves their toddler bed!" , "it was a great transition!".   No, no, no!  Actually, maybe for people with one child. However, twins are a whole other story, or at least mine are.
You tuck them in, give them their 10 toys and their bottle, turn on the nightlight and the two fans, and blow them kisses.  *Note this is when you secure the baby gate at the bedroom door...that part is important!*  And you tell those sweet little angels goodnight.  Here is when you feel a big sigh of relief.  The kids are in bed and for the next couple hours you can pretend you are a normal human being.  Then you hear that little yell, or laugh, or loud noise coming from the girls' bedroom.  Sure enough you go in to check on them and there they are "naked as jay birds" (If that's how you use it).  Beds torn apart, naked, and talking away with each other.  In times like this, it is extremely easy to get mad and yell, but if you just sit back and absorb the moment, you realize that these are the little moments that will make them lifelong friends.

**Despite the fact that you constantly remind yourself how amazing twins are, or they remind you, it never gets easier.  It is simply a new challenge.**
So back to bedtime.  I go in to check on them, and they request another bottle and new diapers.  And then they want their clothes back on.  So you do as they request and put them back to bed for the 2nd time.  Most nights this is it.  They go to sleep and you go back to relaxing.  But on those rare nights that they decide that bedtime must be moved to a later time, you are in for it.
You will go through about 4 diapers each (thank goodness Luvs are so inexpensive), and make at least 3 bottles.  Full moon? Friday night? Too much sugar?  For whatever the reason, they do it, and tonight was one of those nights.