Traveling with Twins – Surviving the Airport. My Top Tips!

Hola,

I’m Currently at 32 thousand feet M has control of my IWatch and J is sat watching Miles on his Electronic Nanny.

 

We left home at 7am and its now 2.30 in the afternoon.

It has been a long day already and we don’t land until after 4pm.

We are not new to traveling however each time we learn a little more about the best way to reduce the stress on our travels.

  1. Arrive in good time – There is nothing worse than arriving late and in a panic. Plan your trip – Are there road works? Do you have enough petrol? Fill up the day before if you want that extra 10 mins in bed!
  2. Bring activities for the little ones! – Our twins are 4 and I let them pack their hand luggage themselves. I do advise checking it before you get to the airport however as liquids and sharp objects are frowned upon through security. I also make sure they have their favorite comfort be that a teddy, a dummy for smaller ones or a blanket.
  3. Charge those Electronic nannies –We were early for our check in this morning (I know Un heard of!) J & M were able to

    entertain themselves with their Tablets & toys.

  4. Toilet stops – While Hubby cued with the suitcases I took J & M off to the toilet even if they say they don’t need it right then I tend to bribe them with a sticker if it means I’m not halfway through security with “mummy I need a wee, Mummy I’m gonna wee, Mummy I’ve wee’d” in my ear.
  5. Wheel your own! – Last time we were away I let My two pick their own wheeled cabin bags. This way they are more likely to carry their own stuff! – It makes them feel grown up and save me or Daddy carrying a thousand bags!SAMSUNG CSC
  6. Remove shoes, coats, etc. – when going through security You need to remove shoes if they have a substantial sole or if your kids are like mine and they have lights in their shoes they obviously have a battery in so they will need to come off too.
  7. Fold pushchairs- Babies should be removed from pushchairs and pushchairs folded and put through the scanner. This cam mean you need to empty it of blankets toys etc.– Yes you can take them to the aircraft door on most flights check your airline if unsure!
  8. Book the lounge. – It’s not as crowded there is complementry WiFi and the food and drinks are included. Sometimes you can get a good deal on the lounge if you are booking car parking – Ours came with the price of the car park this time round.
  9. Snacks – I put a couple of snacks in our hand luggage. airport prices are not cheap! SAMSUNG CSC
  10. Did I mention Toilet stops?
  11. Don’t rush to the gate – Normally by the time you’re on your way to the gate you have already been given your seat number so why rush. Those that board first are on the plane longer on the ground meaning more chance your little ones are going to get board or need a wee!

 

 

Right Seatbelt lights on M is now asleep as is daddy and J is not far behind – Come on kiddos were landing.

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Transition Day!

This morning I woke up full of excitement for my children. They have transition day. A day where they go up from nursery to the reception class they will be in come September.

I took them into school as usual and we did the morning activity as usual.

Then suddenly a wave of anxiety hit me and i could feel my eyes well up.

Whats wrong I though to myself, while I was trying to help J with his letter formations.

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“They are growing up” I over heard one mum comment to another.

That’s it I thought they are growing up. I felt a little overwhelmed like the fact they are going to reception has just sneaked up on me!

My two know their new teacher and already feel comfortable with her. so I know they will be fine!

They have been doing full days at nursery for sometime to so I already know what to fill my time with.

It’s just the fact they are growing every single day. Sometimes  I see it, but sometimes it sneaks up on me like today.

Good Luck all to all the mums having transition days / weeks – Its hard knowing our children are growing up but you know we get to watch them grow and that’s an amazing gift!

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Happy Fathers Day!

Good Morning and Happy Fathers Day to all the daddies out there! 20160619_090904daddys day.jpg

Last Night My Hubby came back from a week of working away and although he came back jet lagged & groggy he still made time to make dens for the kids before bed! He still made time to ask me how I had been. He still made time to give out gifts from his week of traveling the USA & Canada! 999511_10151802244903828_1923311636_n

This morning he is having a sleep in!

So while he is sleeping in and the kids are playing in their rooms I thought I would take this time to say thanks for being our children’s daddy10505569_10152553459793828_6604749057464206252_n.972335_10151846278943828_151736935_n

Thanks for the times you made me a cuppa before rushing of to work while I fed our baby twins.

Thank you for all the dens you have built.

Thanks for all the times you have given up your shoulders. 1656272_10152812896198828_5544181405921626329_n

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Thank you for the Sunday evenings that you spend watching films with the kids while I take a bath.IMG_5353
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Thank you for being my calm!

Thank you for being you!

Thank you for making me realise what family is! We love you with all of our hearts.

Thank you daddy!

Nina x

Mummy Worries!

Last week I took the children for their first swimming lesson at the local swimming pool.

63961_10152812831478828_292065996094397559_nIt’s the first time they have been in the pool with only an instructor and other learners.

I had a lot of anxiety sat behind a window watching them fool around in the water. I swim, I love swimming and I know they need to learn but it doesn’t stop me worrying!

The teacher gets in the water with them. they seemed to enjoy their lesson I think it helped that a school friend of theirs was there too.  Talking to the school friends mum helped take my mind off of my anxiety.

I know that in the long run I will feel better knowing they can swim and get out of difficulty especially as we holiday on a small island and love our beach days.

I think the only thing we can do is teach our children how to respond to difficult situations and try to teach ourselves too!

Swimming is just one of the things I worry about as a mum.

Sat behind the window I could feel my heart leap every time they looked like they were falling. But do you know what they stayed upright.

I’m sure I’m never going to stop worrying about them and even if I get over the swimming worry there will be something else to worry about!

My anxiety doesn’t just stop at the children’s wellbeing I also worry about my own health! 

My heart often leaps when I find a new symptom and then I worry I worry its something worse than it is. I worry that if I go to the Drs I will be wasting their time! 

I think I’ve always had a little bit of anxiety, however when my children came it became more apparent. The responsibility of looking after them lies solely with me. Ok my husband has a responsibility too but I think as mothers we are the first call when things go wrong.

I have found some ways of coping with my anxiety and not letting it get me too down but sometime there is a blip! 

Thanks for listening

Nina x

My Precious Moments

Here is my top precious moments.

  1. I love having a snuggle in bed with my twins and then when they have fell asleep the feeling I get when I pick them up to move them and they put their arms around me tightly and snuggle in. Then I lay them in their own bed and they say Thank you Mummy I love you.
  2. Being lost in my children’s world even if only for the moment. Getting down to their level and playing with toys or doing some drawing. I totally forget the to do list and my worries and we just play. I follow their imagination and they help me regain mine! I just love it.IMG_8675
  3. I have recently joined you tube and one of the reasons is my stepson – Although we don’t have as many special moments we have found something that is a common ground for us! He is a teenager so often doesn’t interact with anyone let alone me! So If I ask him for help with something to do with cameras or YouTube related it often gives us a shared moment!
  4. Our twins are constantly growing up and witnessing a proud moment with my husband really connects us! It can be that Jake has been given an award at school or that Melody has just learnt to spell a couple of words. I Know I look at him and he looks at me with pride. Proud that we made those children together!
  5. Finally we have a brilliant group of friends that we only met after we had our children.. In this time we have shared  many moments together from us girls all going camping together to watching all four of our children playing together without squabbling!

These moments I’ve mentioned above often hit me by surprise and bring me to tears! Other times they don’t register until afterwards.

They are moments that build who we are as a family and moments that I hope my children will remember fondly.

They are definitely moments I want to treasure forever – Children don’t stay young for long and we have to make the most of these precious moments because before too long we won’t be able to pick up our sleeping child from our bed and I’m sure they won’t hug as tightly.

Nina x