Keeping My Sanity Boat Afloat

Two babies crying = not good for Mommy's sanity

"How are you doing?" This is probably the most frequent question I've been asked since the twins' arrival. It is often asked by friends, family members, and sometimes, by complete strangers. I appreciate the concern about my well being, and I hope that my answer will continue to be "We're doing pretty well, thank you." I really do feel like I'm coping well with being the stay at home mom of three kiddos all under the age of 26 months, although I certainly have times when I feel like staying in bed and opting out of being a parent for the day. Here are the top ten keys to keeping my sanity boat afloat...

1. Miss Linda is our linchpin. Without her, I'm pretty sure my world (and therefore Paul's) would fall apart. Almost immediately. Once her initial six weeks were up, we decided to keep her on for at least a few more weeks. When we asked her to stay, her response was "Praise Jesus!" Funny, that's exactly what I was thinking when Paul agreed we should keep her.

2. I take a shower before Paul leaves the house in the morning. Because even though I will inevitably end up smelling like poop and spit up well before lunch time, getting showered in the morning allows me to know that at least I started the day clean.

3. I manage the girls with a triage mentality. She who is most severely in need of Mommy's attention gets it first. A few conditions that will buy you a ticket to the front of the line: blood, poop coming out of clothing/diaper, and hunger combined with crying. Everything else falls behind. Whining will get you nowhere except into your crib for a time out.

4. I vacuum. Those who know me well know that I have a strange addiction to vacuuming. When I feel like I'm going over the brink of sanity, I pull out my trusty Shark and spend 10 minutes sucking the dirt from my floors and the stress from my body. And the best part is that I can roll right by whatever piece of baby equipment the twins are napping in and they don't even bat an eye. I must have spent enough time vacuuming while I was pregnant to train them to sleep right through the sound.

5. I leave the house. I really try to leave the house once a day. Some days it's just a walk with all three girls around a couple blocks. Other days, it's to meet my mommy friends to remind them that I am still alive and desire a social life. Even a trip to Kroger is exhilarating when all you've done is change diapers, feed babies, do laundry, and stare at the inside wall of your house all day. If I'm really lucky, I get to leave the house alone.

6. I nap. All three girls are generally asleep between 1:30 and 3:30pm, and I make every effort to join them for a snooze during that time too. I feel sorry for the person who knocks on my front door or calls my house during these hours. He will find one angry mama bear on his hands.

7. I send Paul emails throughout the day that convey my general level of sanity. It's a quick and easy way to vent, and also lets him know what kind of wife he will be coming home to that evening. Typically, emails sent before noon are generally cheery and share a funny moment I've shared with one or more of the girls. But by 5pm, the text often reads something like, "I think I just lost my mind" or "Just so you know, the dogs will be in the street with a bag of food and a sign that says 'free to a good home' when you come home tonight."

8. I accept the fact that I will not eat dinner until 9pm. And unless that meal has been brought by the "dinner fairy", aka a fabulous friend, I accept that dinner will most likely be a PB&J sandwich or cereal. This is not hard to do because I know I always have ice cream to enjoy afterwards. We may run out of toilet paper in this house, but we will never run out of ice cream.

9. I accept help. This was a tough one for me, but there's nothing like having twins and two year old to make one switch quickly from the "every man for himself" to the "it takes a village" mentality. Now I accept all the help I can get and hope that my friends don't start running in the opposite direction when they see me headed their way lugging two car seats, a toddler, and a tote bag large enough to house enough gear, supplies, and snacks to survive a year in the outback.

10. I count my blessings. I look at all three of my girls and marvel at their ever changing personalities, adore their tiny (or chubby) fingers and toes, savor every hug and kiss I give or get, and thank God that I'm lucky enough to be their Mom.

Feeling much better!

Margaret and Julia