San Francisco Parents of Multiples SFPOM General Discussion 8/31/2012 9:15 am - 9/1/2012
1. Looking for a fun fall activity? Wonderbugs! (beth_jonah)
2. Volunteer Openings! Help needed! (nataliasha2004)
3. Farewell and Thank You! (elizabethmurray)
4. Comment: Farewell and Thank You! (nataliasha2004)
5. Moving to Mountain View area (kjlisle)
6. Comment: Moving to Mountain View area (nataliasha2004)
7. Nanny needed part time in Sept - Oct (kjlisle)
8. solo flight to east coast with 2.5 y.o.s. (emily16)
9. Comment: solo flight to east coast with 2.5 y.o.s. (erin_loback)
10. Comment: solo flight to east coast with 2.5 y.o.s. (erin_loback)
11. Sleep training (casssandra)
12. Comment: Difficult In-Laws (rinnigan)
13. Comment: Difficult In-Laws (karu_garg)
14. Re:Difficult In-Laws (dm_sonora)
15. Comment: Difficult In-Laws (nataliasha2004)
16. Comment: Is anyone still meeting in Noe with twins? (kaluzoo)
1. Looking for a fun fall activity? Wonderbugs!
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beth_jonah - 8/31/2012 11:10 pm
Hello! Just wanted to get the word out about an amazing
nature program for kids, co-founded by a friend of
mine- Wonderbugs. Here's the info: Enjoy!Come explore
with Wonderbug Adventures this FallJoin us and watch
your child's curiosity run wild with the wonders of
nature! Wonderbug Adventures is a nature discovery
program for you and your little ones. Our mission is to
nurture and encourage young children's natural sense of
curiosity by introducing them to the wonders of nature
through hands-on learning.Our hour long educational
programs offer hands-on nature discovery through age
appropriate activities at various nature sites in the
SF Area. Wonderbug Adventures is designed for toddlers
and preschoolers aged 2 to 5 years old. Please visit
our website to learn more about the inspiring nature
discovery that awaits you and your
child:http://www.wonderbugadventures.com Check out our
YELP reviews and a sweet discount
offer:http://www.yelp.com/biz/wonderbug-adventures-san-
francisco Hillary Blum , Co-Founder Wonderbug
Adventures, LLC 650-644-9740
www.wonderbugadventures.com"In the end we will conserve
only what we love. We will love only what weunderstand.
We will understand only what we are taught." -
Baba Dioum
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With subject line: "Ref#71928830 - Looking for a fun fall activity? Wonderbugs!"
Email author: beth_jonah@yahoo.com
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2. Volunteer Openings! Help needed!
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nataliasha2004 - 8/31/2012 5:19 pm
Here's an EXCELLENT way to "pay it forward" (or even
backward...)This amazing Club, this awesome TRIBE from
which you get LOADS of awesome, practical advice...
including leads on caregivers, loans of useful stuff,
incredible lectures, super deals on baby gear, even
free food and drink (I could go on!!) needs YOU. We
currently have quite a few volunteer positions open,
most of which can be handled mostly or completely at
home, on your own time. Please consider getting
involved! It's a great way to get to know other
members, interact with grown-ups, and can have lots of
side benefits as well, that I can tell you about when
you email me for details. Here's what positions we
need filled at the moment, in no particular order:*
Expert Speaker Series Coordinator - set up speakers to
share info relevant to raising multiples (6-9/yr)*
Parents' Night Out Coordinator - sets up 3 or 4 events
per year* Dads' Night Out Corodinator - sets up only
TWO events per year... you could TOTALLY do this!!*
Newsletter Editor/Manager - help oversee the move of
our hard copy newsletter to a more dynamic web version
(that'll be part of a revamped, more robust website!)*
Marketing Coordinator - work with the Board to really
get our Club out there in the world* Consignment Sale
Chair(s) - Help steer the next sale or two* New &
Expectant Parents Group Facilitator(s) - remember how
helpful these were when you attended?!?* Toddler
Support Group Facilitator - really, this should
"[Parents-of-Toddlers] Group Therapy"... oversee the
revival of quarterly meetings - whine over wine, paid
for by the Club.* Snow Clothes Closet Keeper - manage
"library" of snow-specific loaner clothing.. and get
first dibs!Please contact Natasha at
president@sfpom.org for more info about any of these!
THANK YOU, in advance.
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With subject line: "Ref#71923051 - Volunteer Openings! Help needed!"
Email author: nataliasha2004@yahoo.com
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3. Farewell and Thank You!
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elizabethmurray - 8/31/2012 3:56 pm
I've decided not to renew my membership next year, but
I wanted to write and let everyone know just how much
SFPOM has meant to me over the last 4 years. This group
has been the single most important resource for me as a
parent. I can't imagine making it through my twin
pregnancy and the last three years without the support
and resources the club has provided. Thank you all for
sharing your stories, advice, recommendations and
jokes. More than anything I will miss the birth
announcements in Multiplicity- I don't think I've ever
read them without tearing up. Our babies are such
incredible gifts and mothers and fathers of multiples
are some of the finest parents I know.Thank you so
much!Elizabeth e_murray@mac.com+ Charlotte, Edmund
(6/4/08), Daniel & Garrett, (3/11/09)
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With subject line: "Ref#71921338 - Farewell and Thank You!"
Email author: e_murray@yahoo.com
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4. nataliasha2004 says...
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8/31/2012 4:35 pm
That is so kind of you... thanks for posting, and for
your participation over the years! Very best wishes
to you and your family (& please know you're always
welcome back!) Happy trails ~NatashaPresident, SFPOM
Email author: nataliasha2004@yahoo.com
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5. Moving to Mountain View area
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kjlisle - 8/31/2012 1:04 pm
Hi,Looking for a wonderful nanny with twins experience
available for part time - full time in the Mountain
View area. I am getting ready to go back to work AND
moving down to Mountain View in October and want to
have the best nanny possible for our 3 month (will be 4
months) boy/girl twins. Any recommends for that area
would be great!Also, is there a twins group down there?
Please contact: Kelly Lisle 415-509-7559,
kjlisle@hotmail.com
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With subject line: "Ref#71913898 - Moving to Mountain View area"
Email author: kjlisle@hotmail.com
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6. nataliasha2004 says...
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8/31/2012 3:32 pm
You can keep your SFPOM membership at a discounted rate
from out of the area if you're interested, and/or,
there are a couple of other POM-type clubs that cover
Mtn. View:* The Mid-Peninsula Parents of Multiples
(www.mppom.org)* Gemini Crickets Parents of Multiples
of Silicon Valley (www.geminicrickets.com) and* Santa
Clara County Mothers of Twins Club (don't know if they
have a site...)Good luck to you!
Email author: nataliasha2004@yahoo.com
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7. Nanny needed part time in Sept - Oct
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kjlisle - 8/31/2012 12:58 pm
Hi,Looking for a wonderful nanny with twins experience
available for part time work during the week, located
at Lake & 7th ave in the Inner Richmond? I am getting
ready to go back to work AND moving down to Mountain
View in October, but need some help now. We are also
looking for a full time nanny once in Mountain View, so
any recommends for that area would be great too!
Send comment to: <sfpom_general@lists.bigtent.com>
With subject line: "Ref#71913693 - Nanny needed part time in Sept - Oct"
Email author: kjlisle@hotmail.com
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8. solo flight to east coast with 2.5 y.o.s.
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emily16 - 8/31/2012 10:54 am
We are making our yearly trip to the east coast with
our 2.5 year olds to visit the grandparents. Somehow I
have managed to book at 6am flight AND agree to taking
the 2.5 yo twins by myself. Can any recent fliers
please help me with the logistics of it all? Big huge
carseats? Magic small carseats? CARES? Drive to the
airport? Taxi? Convince my dear friend to drive us at
4am?!! Long term parking?!Stroller? Double stroller? No
stroller?
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Email author: erylander@gmail.com
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9. erin_loback says...
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8/31/2012 2:14 pm
My kids are almost three, and by the end of the year,
they will have logged 20 flights each this year,
including an East Coast trip and Hawaii. We are
seasoned kid travelers, and so here is my advice. First
of all, it is SO much easier travelling with kids this
age than babies. Although I have never had to do it
myself, I know that I could with relative ease.1) You
don't need carseats on planes. The kids are big/old
enough to sit in a seat by themselves. Get a row, one
kid by the window, one by the aisle, you in the middle.
One less thing (two!) to have to worry about carrying
through the airport.2) If you can convince a friend to
drive you to the airport that early, it would really be
worth it. It's a huge favor to ask of someone, but it's
really worth being endebted over. Then you can get the
kids and luggage out of the car and curbside check,
then you just have you, the kids, and a bag or two to
maneuver through the airport. Long-term parking is so
hard because then you have to get you, two kids, and
all your luggage (and presumably the carseats you will
need on the other end) on the bus to the airport.3)
Have non-electronic activities (crayons and coloring
books, or just books work well) for the beginning and
end of the flight. If it's something they've never seen
before, even better.4) Bring lots of snacks. Fun ones,
if you can. Other easy travel foods are bananas or
other cut-up fruits. The only time my kids get juice is
on the airplane, and I bring those little tiny 3-4
ounce boxes, one for each kid. I also bring them boxes
of milk (those 8-ounce boxes). I have never had a
problem getting milk or juice or squeezies through
security. I just make a plastic bag for each kid and
take it out to go through security just the way I would
do for my toiletries, and it's never been a problem.5)
Even if you are opposed to television,
movies/DVDs/shows on an iPad or laptop are the easiest
way to pass time on the plane. Get the kids each a
little pair of kid's headphones (I have animal ones
that are the perfect size for my kids, I think they
were $8 each on Amazon). Have one electronic device per
kid (borrow if you don't already have), maybe one iPad
and one DVD player, so you can then switch movies/shows
for the way home. 6) Hopefully you can get a nap out of
them during the flight, too! My kids actually sleep
pretty well on the plane, vibrations or something
maybe.7) The only tough part by yourself will be the
bathroom. My kids have been potty-trained for a year,
but I still make them wear pull-ups on the plane (my
daughter will not pee in one and insists on going to
the bathroom anyway, but it's a just-in-case measure
because I don't want to have to clean a wet seat, as
the only accidents they ever seem to have are if they
are watching a movie and don't want to stop for a potty
break). If you have to take one kid for a potty break
or diaper change, you'll have to leave the other kid by
him/herself. If the kid is asleep or engrossed in a
movie, probably not a big deal. You can totally do
this!
Email author: erin_loback@yahoo.com
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10. erin_loback says...
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8/31/2012 2:16 pm
Forgot to address the stroller question -- I never take
one. More hassle than it's worth. But we are not
stroller people and have never really used one. If you
often use yours and your kids are comfortable in it and
you think you'll use it on your trip, then take it
through the airport. However, check with the airline
first, because some airlines don't let you gate check
double strollers. We just hold hands and it's fine.
Email author: erin_loback@yahoo.com
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11. Sleep training
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casssandra - 8/31/2012 10:50 am
Triplets are now 2.5 adjusted, 5.5 months actual. Need
to get them to on some kind of sleep/nap routine. The
round the clock waking up, feedings, etc. are taking
its tool. They are on a 3.5 hour feeding schedule, but
we don't have a routine/schedule for naps or sleep.I
bought a few sleep related books: baby whisperer,
happiest kid on the block, etc. But would also like to
get some real life experience from parents of
multiples. Would anyone be able to provide some help,
hints, suggestions, etc. on how they were able to get
their babies to "sleep" better? We are desperate.
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With subject line: "Ref#71909362 - Sleep training"
Email author: cassandra_kwan@yahoo.com
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Topic: Difficult In-Laws
My mother-in-law from India is helping with our babies for
the next couple months...
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12. rinnigan says...
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8/31/2012 6:25 am
It may be worth it to visit your pediatrician or a
breast feeding expert associated with your insurance
company - without your MIL- just to get the perspective
of a third party. Kaiser has breast feeding
consultants that are free or a very low copayment - the
only drawback is thay you have to go to them; they
don't do house calls. Additionally, both our ped and
the breast feeding expert said that we were doing a
great job and to trust ourselves- they said that
if/when we received wacko advice from well-meaning
relatives we should just say that our ped/expert told
us to do it this way (regardless of whether they said
so or not- they knew we would not hesitate to reach out
if we thought something was wrong). We never had to go
this route, but it was reassuring to have this in my
back pocket. Hang in there- it gets better/easier with
time.
Email author: rinnigan@yahoo.com
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13. karu_garg says...
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8/31/2012 9:17 am
Hi there, I agree with all the above posts. Its
annoying but she probably means well........Also
realize the cultural difference. I am Indian so I know
how older Indian ladies think, my mom disapproves of a
lot of things that I do. They pretty much think babies
should not cry and need to be cuddled/held/fed or
whatever works at the time. We have had differences
over this when I was visiting India with the babies, I
waited to sleep train the babies until my return (I
cant even imagine how the cry it out would have gone
over in that house!) Anyway my point is, she probably
means well and is even trying to be helpful. But let
her know gently but firmly that this is how you would
like to raise your babies. If that does not work,
listen, do not argue but do what you think is
right.Good luck!!
Email author: karu_garg@hotmail.com
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14. dm_sonora says...
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8/31/2012 9:37 am
Sounds like you are doing a great job with your babies.
My mother in law is the opposite of yours. She still
hates that I breastfeed. We started out arguing about
it, and now I just send her articles supporting my
approach so that we aren't' just arguing a point, we're
discussing an article. It's helped to get her off my
back, but she's far away, too. It would be hard to see
her and have the daily comments, ug!!I continue to have
lots of help from my mom with my boys which is good and
bad. She has come to help us 3-4d/week. This has been a
huge life saver for me, but as others have commented,
the free help does come with some strings attached.
Sometimes I think it might destroy my relationship with
her. Othertimes, I'm just very grateful. I'm not sure
how much of my experience with my mom who helps with
the babies is applicable to yours, but I will share
some things that worked for me:It took me a little
while to realize it's really hard for those who don't
have boobs and milk to feel like they are doing a good
job caring for babies if they are crying, because they
are usually crying for mom. So, if she complains about
them crying, I try to problem solve with her so that we
find things she can do. I hired a mother's helper to
come help my mom, which took a lot of the stress off
her. We had healthy babies, but it was still really
hard being with 2 babies all day and she really
appreciated having someone to help some of the time. We
made sure she was comfortable with the stroller, bought
bouncy seats for them, new toys, set her up with bath
tub, etc. We also arranged for food to be delivered so
no one had to worry about making dinner.I try to
accommodate most of my mom's requests since she is
taking care of my babies (and doing a much better job
than any nanny or babysitter we tried). My mom is
pretty respectful of our space/ privacy/ style of
parenting, maybe this is a different situation than
yours.Good luck!
Email author: darca@hub3.net
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15. nataliasha2004 says...
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8/31/2012 4:53 pm
Ugh, that is SO hard! If she trust internet searches,
can you find and bookmark/recommend a few sites that
YOU like, so that your methods are echoed by a another,
less loaded source for her? It's awful that any of
us should have to resort to these things, but it can be
such an emotionally-charged time for everyone in
different ways, that sometimes I think we need to
resort to stuff like this to preserve our sanity!!I was
lucky to have generally supportive (or at least
open-minded) parents, but I have to say -- sticking to
our guns REALLY paid off. So did sharing videos and
books we were reading... I remember how my dad rolled
his eyes and scoffed at the notion of sign language...
until he saw it in action. (Now he's one of those
almost overzealous converts!) They regularly say how
amazed they are at how much things have changed this
they were new parents, particularly when they see
results they didn't expect, from things they
questioned.Hang in there -- they are YOUR children, and
you need to listen to your gut. Here's hoping your MIL
comes around - and, until she does, you feel free to
come to this forum for support from people who get it.
!!
Email author: nataliasha2004@yahoo.com
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Topic: Is anyone still meeting in Noe with twins?
...or does anyone want to? Park, coffee, whatever...be good
to meet. Let me know if you're in an...
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16. kaluzoo says...
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8/31/2012 12:31 pm
I am in Noe with 4.5 month old twins. I work on the
Peninsula during the week, so weekends are pretty much
all that works for me at this point. I think there is
still a group meeting on weekends, but have not yet
connected with them.
Email author: sarahchandler@gmail.com
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