The Itsabelly Blog

Budgeting for Twins or More!

Check out our latest post by Elizabeth Sneller, Multiples Expert here:

Budgeting for Twins or More!

Visiting the Doctor with Twins or More

 
By Elizabeth Sneller, Multiples Mama Expert
 
Babies require many visits to the doctor during their first year of life. Time with our pediatrician was so valuable to me. I always wanted to be sure all my questions and concerns were answered so that I didn't have to be "that" mom who calls the office at all hours. (I still was, along with almost every new mom I know)

Just getting to the doctor can be a circus in itself. I remember it taking almost 3 hours just to get out the door for the triplets first doctor's appointment. The stress of having them out in the "germ-filled" public and the knowing that my precious ones would be getting shots resulted in me totally blanking out on all my perceived life or death questions that I had prepared to ask.

To ensure that your visits to the pediatrician go as smooth as possible, I would suggest that you spend some time jotting down all your questions in a notebook, on a separate page, per child. If your child or children are sick, write down all symptoms and history in this notebook including medication given. 

 
Treat the appointment as if they are two (or three) separate appointments and only have the doctor exam one child at a time. It is helpful to have a "helper" to manage the other baby so that you can focus your conversation on the child that is currently being treated. While asking your questions, feel free to have the doctor hold your baby, so that you can take notes. (Believe me, it all gets jumbled up and it is difficult to remember what advice goes with what child) 
 
I found that being prepared for a feeding was very helpful in calming down my babies after immunizations. You might want to ask your doctor if it is alright to administer Tylenol at the beginning of the appointment so that the pain medication has had a chance to kick-in by the time your babies gets poked. Make sure that the baby being immunized first has had a chance to calm down before you immunize the other. 

If at all possible, ask that your kids be the first or last appointments of the day. For the first six months, our pediatrician made a point to have us in her office when no other children were around. If you are the last appointment of the day, be sure to call ahead to see how the doctor's schedule is running, and stay at home for a longer time if they are running behind. 

CLEANING ON THE "FLY"

By Elizabeth Sneller, Multiples Mama

Anyone that has young children can understand how easily your home can take on the appearance of a big chain baby box store, and leave you feeling that your house is no longer yours but your infant's. Swings in one corner, bottles all over the counters, bouncing zebras and exersaucers where you used to have your coffee table. The list could go on and on. Coupled with all of these great new "decorations" is an adorable baby or more that has a proficiency for making big messes and stealing hours of what you used to call "down" time. 

As someone that feels that your home should be a place of renewal, I had a very hard time with all the clutter and messes that came with my triplets. (In exception to the first six months which was mostly about how well my house could function, and I didn't pay too much attention to the fact that we had a refrigerator in our living room and no counter space due to the 24 plus bottles we used daily.) 

Right about the six month mark, I began to feel trapped in a house that was no longer a place of my own. Time was very limited, and I felt the only "cleaning" job I could tackle was just getting things picked-up. This is when I discovered Flylady.com. This website recognizes the fact that our houses (and ourselves) can quickly become neglected when we go through transitional times like having a baby.

Basically, Flylady is a free service that helps to break down organizational and house keeping tasks into 5-15 minute jobs that are completed on a daily basis. Each week they have a different zone, i.e. the kitchen, that gets cleaned with a series of short jobs. The idea is that within a month, your house will have a thorough cleansing....I'm talking ceiling fans dusted, junk drawers organized, light fixtures polished!

Another feature that I enjoy is the once a week "27 fling boogie." This task has you grab a garbage bag and doesn't allow you to sit down until you have put 27 items inside it to throw away or recycle. I am always amazed by how quickly I can find 27 things to rid my house of! 

Although I love the concept of flylady, I must admit that I am not the most faithful flylady follower. In fact, there was a time last year when I could swear the flylady was really my mother in disguise. Her daily e-mails telling me what jobs to work on seemed all too familiar, and I felt like I had some sort of cyber mom nagging the ten year old in me to "clean up my room!" Beware that you will receive a lot of e-mails when you sign-up, and I wish it had a little bit more of a hip vibe. All in all, I think of the flylady as a kind of a housekeeping "diet." When my house gets a little out of control, I sign up and slowly get myself to focus on making my home a clean and organized place of my own.

Home Office Distractions: 4 Tips to Overcome Them

I shared with my friend Brandie that its been a definite challenge to work from home because my office sits right infront of my master bedroom and 30 feet away from the FRIDGE!  So, I thought for those of you who are home based entreprenuers you're probably going through the same challenges - distractions!  I wanted to share some great tips written by my friend Brandie Kajino over at the The Home Office Organizer.  She's a wealth of knowledge and can help you get your home office in top notch shape so check her out.  Thanks for the tips Brandie!

Written By Brandie Kajino

I was having a conversation with a teacher the other day, and she asked me about what I do. When we got to the part where I told her I worked from home, she mentioned that she was not the type who could work from home. She then explained how the laundry, cleaning and other errands and tasks would call her name from other rooms while she tried to work.

I must admit I don’t have this problem (several years of practice and lack of a housekeeper), but I do get this question a lot. So, how can you stay focused in your home office and get stuff done? Here’s a few tips:

1. Use your distractions as breaks: If you were in a cubicle or office outside your home, no doubt you would take a trip to the water cooler or a break outside. So, do the same in your home office. Put in a load of laundry, change the sheets, talk to a neighbor (maybe they work from home too), check the mail or go pull some weeds. You might think of your multi-million dollar idea while washing your socks!
2. Set a time limit: If you choose to do something around the house, be sure you are accountable. Setting a timer or scheduling a conference call will keep you accountable and less likely to get completely off track.
3. Hire help: If you simply don’t have the time (or patience) to do your household chores, consider hiring someone to come in a vacuum or do the laundry for you. If it nags on your brain, you will know it’s getting done and you concentrate on other things.
4. Talk a walk: Talk a walk and clear your head. Did you know that Ralph Waldo Emerson and some other great authors and thinkers were walkers? So, strap on your running/walking shoes and get some fresh air. I’ll bet that little “fold the laundry” voice will be harder to hear two blocks away.

Do you have a way you stay focused and get things done in your office? Do share!

Recycle Baby Gear and Clothing

Written By Jennifer Lo Prete, Itsabelly California Consultant

This is often a time when many of us clean out our closets and garages. It is a good opportunity to evaluate our items and discover what our children no longer need. Children grow so fast and their needs evolve rapidly. Often their clothing and related gear are in great condition to pass along to a new owner.

Donating clothing and baby gear to a local woman’s shelter or selling it at a consignment shop are two eco-friendly ways to recycle and support your local community. I urge you to look beyond the ease of the Goodwill drive-thru drop-off and donate your gently used items to a local charity that benefits women and children. Consigning is another good option because it benefits a local business (many are mom-owned) and it provides the chance to buy quality items at a hugely discounted price. I buy all of my children’s preschool and play clothes at my local consignment boutique. Actually, I never pay cash for any items because I always have a credit from items that I have sold. The items are in terrific condition and I don’t mind paint stains since I didn’t pay a lot for the item.

 

Here are some wonderful organizations that are usually in need of baby-related items. These are suggestions for the areas where Itsabelly is currently located. If you are interested in an area outside of Portland, Oregon or San Jose, California the following phrases plus your location will probably result in a local organization: “women’s shelter,” or “family shelter,” “children’s shelter,” “donate baby items.” Please check the organization’s website or call for a wish list before dropping off large items. Also, due to legal reasons, many charities cannot accept car seats.

Portland Area Charities

 

Children’s Relief Nursery

Children’s Relief Nursery mission is to prevent abuse and neglect in children birth through three by partnering with caregivers committed to strengthening their families. Since 2001, CRN has provided family support services – at no cost – to high-risk Multnomah county families. CRN accepts in-kind donations of new or gently used items listed below to the nursery at 8425 N Lombard Street, Portland, OR 97203. Please check their website for an extensive wish list. The only used children's items we cannot accept (due to insurance regulations) are cribs and car seats. 503-283-4776

Northwest Children’s Outreach

Northwest Children’s Outreach is a collection and distribution center that collects children’s items and distributes the goods to care providers working directly with children. Here is their wish list. (503) 352-0493

A Mighty Fine Mess!

This post is dedicated to the mighty fine mess I've created in my home office.  The sad thing is I try to put blinders on everyday to avoid the mess when I go into my office so I don't get stressed out.  Well, not any more...I'm absolutely sick of how the piles in my office weigh so heavily on my shoulders every time I go in there!  If you ever watch the TLC channel my dream is to have the "Clean Sweep" team help me so I have some company.  I'm dreaming about creating my "keep, recycle and garage sale" piles (not).  Let's not even think about when I'm going to clean and organize my closets yet (argh).  The shoe and purse fanatics out there would love to see what gems I have hiding in my closet :)

So, long story short my mom is here visiting and has totally helped me with Isabella.  While she's here my main project in the next week is to de-clutter and organize my whole office so I can actually see the table & desk underneath the junk.  My goal is to be done by Thanksgiving so wish me luck!  Believe me this not going to be a fun project.  I'm sure if you've cleaned up a messy office or room somewhere in your house you can empathize with how I'm feeling.  Thanks to Tasra for giving me great tips which I'll be sharing with you once I figure out how to apply them.  I'm embarassed to share the photos but here's some "before" pictures.  Remember these beautiful messy photos because shortly you'll see a post on how I conquered this exciting project and new photos of my office face lift!