Those of you who don't have to use sitters are very, very blessed!!!! The next time you take your kids to your family members and have them watch them for you. . .give them a big kiss and a hug and maybe even bring them back something!!!!
I do not have an answer for you sneaky mama because I have one living at home. I do know my mom managed well with five. It is a choice to take our children or not. If you choose not to then that is your doing and good for you. I am glad you enjoy shopping alone. I like shopping with Ems. Our homeschooling is a life experience. Many of our shopping experiences are used for math. This is what works for us. This is why we do it. ...and yes, we are blessed that we do not need a regular sitter. This is how we like it and it is indeed a blessing to my husband and me. Patty
Um. . .okay. . .I deleted most of my post. I didn't mean for it to come off harshly (which I assume it did by your "this is what works for us" post). I just wanted to point out that one is very blessed if one doesn't have to use a sitter, and that your kids don't have to go to the store with you to learn how to behave in a store. Of course if it works for you that's what you should do. . .I didn't mean to imply otherwise. So sorry. ; -( But to answer you. . .I like shopping with just one child too. It's not hard at all. I could not do it effectively with 5 under the age of 6 or 7, including a set of twins. As far as your mother managing well with 5. . .I am sure she was just a better woman/mother since she managed well with 5 under the age of 6 at the grocery store (and that I assume would include a set of newborn twins.) Thanks for the dig.
What dig? My answer was not about you, it was an answer to your question. So you have my deepest and sincerest apologies if it came across that way. I assure you it wasn’t meant as anything more. Patty
Sneakymama HUGS I had my three , 3-6-9 basically, so it was three, not five, so I could do it, mind you it was not always easy, Take the older ones to taske, have them help you pick the bananas, if they can reach yet, and to reach for milk or whatever they can do to help, give them a list to help figure what you need.. they can do pictures of stuff for thier lists and read them off if they are too young (read the pictures?) At any rate don't feel bad, I woudl be overwhelemed as well ! ANd I would love to have a set of twins on top of mine so maybe Im just a goof, but what fun! OH! and if I lived near you I would come help you shop!
Sneaky, I'm sure noone was trying to DIG you!* Everyone was just posting how they do things, not to dig, just to post their idea.I don't have twins, so I don't know what it's like to shop with that many, including a set of twins!* Quite hard, I would think!* I don't think anyone was saying that you HAVE TO take your kids with you to shop----nobody here knows anyone else's exact situations, so couldn't say that!* Same with ways of homeschooling---I couldn't tell you to use a certain curriculum, and do things the way I do them, because most likely that wouldn't work for you!* Sharing the different ways we homeschool, however, is interesting.Does what I said make any sense?* I'm just feeling sorry that you felt "attacked" or whatever!* Knowing all of us, I don't think that was the case, and I hope you can forgive the way it came across!I also wish I lived closer to you!* I'd love to babysit your twins while you went shopping!* I had a hard enough time with 3!* (((((HUGS!)))))
I did it with a 5yo, 3yo, and nursing infant. The oldest would walk, the middle one would ride, and the infant would be in a carrier. We nursed on a schedule, so I would shop around that. I can't imagine getting a babysitter to go shopping. If you don't want the kids, you can always shop when Dad is home so he can watch them. Or several of the stores have in-store play centers. My kids would get frustrated because I would never let them go there! I also try to grocery shop during co-op times.
Thank you ladies. . .I'm sorry I must've misunderstood the tone of the comments. It's probably just something I'm overly sensitive to. Sometimes I just feel like no one really gets it. I always have the impression (in general. . .this is true for real life too) that people don't understand how overwhelming twins can be. I'm sorry that I've misinterpreted all of these "I did just fine with 3 and mine were kind of close together so it must be similar. . ." type comments. I often find that people who have singletons always have an answer for how it could get done. . . I may just have to start wishing twins on people so I have more women to relate to! LOL But nevermind, it's just me; no hard feelings. :| Mostly dh and I go shopping together w/ the 5 and that's fine. Or I go alone or w/ one child, maybe two. The babysitter comes when dh isn't available to help get the shopping done. But I wouldn't take all 5 by myself. . .except for maybe Costco. Frankly, I didn't find a 4yo, 2yo and a newborn that hard to go shopping with either. I don't nurse on a schedule though--I'm far too crunchy for that! LOL But they don't make grocery carts w/ two seats. . .(except at Costco) and it is really, really difficult to sling two babies. . .let alone do that and get something else done. . .let alone sling them, get something else done, and mind the 2yo as well who is still young enough to get herself into trouble.
I'm sorry but this just totally cracked me up????!!!! In store play centers? Maybe in rich suburbia but honey there are no in-store play centers in the ghetto! LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
sneaky moma they have them in Bigger stores is why, in the rainy state of Wa I noticed they had them at Fred Meyer stores? it has a grocery etc in it so that may be why they have them. We don't have them here either, and I used to stuff my kids in the back of the cart one held the side tight , when they were little , I had one in the seat one in the car seat in the back of the cart and the one walking, that was fun! Lol, I would love to take on some twins, when I used to do day care and such I always took the twins on as after the day care hour sitting, my favorites were the one boy and one girl twins though they seemed to be easier... and I always got to send the two boys home hehe, but I loved it! I only had the one duo at a time though, I have heard or read on here there are some with two sets of twins? Maybe they will pipe in?
They used to have kid sized grocery carts in one of the stores here. . .but the kids would break them by skating in them (not mine. . .others). And twins are fun. . .but challenging all at once. My girls are easy I think. . .but they look exactly alike!
Jackie, my oldest worked in a play center at her mall. I think it was Gymboree (sp?). She was amazed at how many parents brought their children in on a regular basis and simpy dumped them off. They weren't just brought so the parents could run an errand or two, once in a while. This was done many times a week so they could get away. Few parents actually stayed and played with the children. Same goes for my middle girl. She is working at a daycare/preschool and many of the parents do not even work. They simply do not want the hassle of parenting their children. sneaky, I truly see how parenting five children, including twins, can be hard. My mom also had twins. All four of the girls were 4 years old and under. I do not say this because she was better, although I will always think she is great , but because I do understand how difficult it can be. Like the other ladies, I wish I was closer so I can give you a helping hand too. Patty
oh fun!< one friend I had had to mark the twins feet so they could always tell. both the boys I would sit had to have certain clothes on, once we put the wrong ones on when they needed a change ( 2-3yr olds class) and it was a big oops! lol, Another set of twins a friends daughters one had a small freckle so they had to keep checking for that ! hehe untill they developed different personalities it was a hoot, sorry to laugh at her expense, she laughed too. come to think of it she had dd18, ds15 dd14,dd12 and the twins were 10 r 11 when she went home to be with the Lord, It was sad, but she was ready when she left. The kids are at an aunts and two are with friends adopted. oldest grew up and was on her own. She was the only person I know who could actually seem like she had it undercontrol when the kids were all over the place. Thanks for reminding me of her, I see her son each week at church, but I miss her laughter.
Speaking of twins! Do twins really skip a generation or is it an old wives tale? Twins run wild on both sides of the family and our oldest daughter's boyfriend is also a twin who has many twins in his family. I wonder what the chances are of her having twins. Patty
I think if you watch the family line you will see what is prevailent in your families. I was due for twins according to the lineage of my mother's side of the family, and I believe they were my misscarriage. The doctor did not go into detail and I was too emotional to ask. But I am pretty certain. no one in our generation had the twins but my cousin on my dads side got the ones that someone was to have on his side hehe, according to family tree it seemed to skip two on my moms thats why we figured I would be the one, but alas, now I just wish I had them hehe, I knwo Im crazy! my new nick crazyteachermom? giggle
crazyteachermom, Um..... I mean Tmom :lol:, I always tease people that I am a twin. My sisters who are twins look nothing a like. People think that I look exactly like my oldest sister. So I joke and tell people that we are the twins. Once I have them, I let them in on the joke.:lol: Growing up when my mom told people she had a set of twins, they automatically assumed it was my sister and me. I think this is where I picked this up at. Patty
THere was a lady in our church years ago that people always confused with me. So one time she came up to me and said, "By the way, I thought I should let you know this: I have been asked so many times if you and I are twins that I am now answering 'Yes, isn't it obvious?' to them! So if anyone says anything, just play along!" Well, there were people that said, "I KNEW it! You two look so much alike, I just KNEW you were twins!" It wasn't until she and her dh moved away that we told them the truth. Not nice, huh? Especially since we were "lying" in church! :lol:
Did you guys see supernanny last night? I never watch it bc I think it's lame and generally violates my super crunchy child rearing principles. . . but I watched last night bc one family had twins and the other family were "homeschoolers" (um. . .sort of) and had incredibly closely spaced younger children. . . I sooooooo have it under control better than that. ;-) LOL I fell all better now. ;-)
Hey, that is funny! My sister and I were on a 'road trip' to California from Wa state. at the lake in Clear Lake California my sister was flirting ( I did not know how to flirt I always insisted so she did th eflirting I just agreed or disagreed with what she said Lol) Anyway with two boys, they asked us if we were twins cause we look so much alike I thought my drivers license was hers one year, we said yes, then I was convicted for lying felt so guilty I said "No, really one of us is 3 years older than the other" they asked which one, We said you guess, they thought it was my sister who was older, she is 3 years younger than me! haha I was 18 then and she was 16 but it was the summer I turned 19, so funny to us we loved that memory! Probably the only age she wanted to be thought older hahah! since then they thought she was the older one a lot, I guess I look younger even though I dont die my hair! But we grew up calling ourselves "big and little twins" lol
