Way Back When-esday: Somebody Come and Play

Dateline: April 2003
Twins' Age: 19 months

Always a sucker for Sesame Street, what fun it was to enjoy it with our toddler twins! When our local arts/entertainment magazine, Style Weekly, ran a contest to win tickets to the touring Sesame Street Live,  naturally, we entered. Fantastically, we WON! Included with the free tickets for four, a pre-show meet and greet with Elmo, Telly, and Lulu. They may not remember it, but Double Daddy and I will never forget it.

Fun with fuzzy friends warm my mid-week.

Why don't you dive into your digital files and play along with Way Back When-esday?

Seek out an overlooked snapshot or scan a scrapbook find...share an image you might not otherwise. Tell the tale and place a post on your blog. Be sure and link back to participate in the web-wide reverie...and please leave a comment when you do!

Confessions and Candor: Part 4

During the very last, late morning dreams before rising...

Mom (with sincerity, in the kitchen of our re-lo home): "Truly, I cannot thank you enough for producing 'Hugo.' My son and I completely adored that book [The Invention of Hugo Cabret] and the movie did it justice. We really appreciate you getting it to the big screen."

Johnny Depp (reaching toward our windowsill, picking up a smallish manger with a white chocolate Baby Jesus atop a bed of tinted coconut): "Is this edible?"

Mom: "Oh, absolutely. Help yourself."



If you would like to win a copy of author Brian Selznick's follow-up to The Invention of Hugo Cabret, be sure to comment here.

Link Love and Post Pimpin'

Jane Roper. She's the amazing blogger behind Babble.com's twin-centric "Baby Squared."

Dreamy darling that she is, she "Roper-ed" me into an e-interview on all things doubled.

Please go take a peek and give her a bit of comment love. Likewise, throw her some encouragement! Double Time, her book on twin pregnancy and early parenting (and confronting depression along the way), comes out this May.

Have older twins and seeking some superlative reading material? Enter to win a copy of Wonderstruck---the latest book by Brian Selznick, the author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the text behind Martin Scorsese's newest masterwork, Hugo. (Gazillions of thanks to the amazing folks at Scholastic Books.)

Awww, heckfire, while I'm slinging the self-indulgent sauce, if you read our book, Twinspiration, and liked it, throw a little Amazon review love our way. We'd appreciate it ever so!

Be sure and take a bit of time this Tuesday and pick a pic for Way Back When-esday....going live Tuesday night!

Makes My Monday: The Mummy Returns

Meshing the very old (mummies from ancient Egypt aren't exactly fresh...) with the very new (in the form of a 3-D movie intro, wherein viewers travel the spine of Nesperrenub---thanks to CAT scan technology), the VMFA's latest exhibit is a winner.

He-Twin and She-Twin's review of our experience, published via RichmondMom.com, Makes My Monday.

Please comment or link up and share what Makes YOUR Monday! 

What else Makes My Monday? Thanks to the generosity of Scholastic Books, we're giving away the follow-up to Brian Selznick's amazing Caldecott winner, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Wonderstruck is currently on He-Twin's nightstand, and it could be on yours soon! Visit this post and enter to win.

Season of Wonderstruck!

This holiday weekend, we had the opportunity to see Hugo, the amazing new film----directed by none other than Martin Scorsese, produced by none other than Johnny Depp----incarnation of our (He-Twin's and my) latest, most favoritest book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

If you have not read the Caldecott Award winner for 2008, by artist/author Brian Selznick, published by Scholastic Press, DO! Truly, we cannot recommend it heartily enough. He-Twin and I were so entranced,  he insisted I read it aloud while he showered---it's that engrossing a story! (Thankfully, we have a transparent shower curtain, so I could share the story-propelling, illustration-rich passages...)

Thanks to a long-term, mutually respectful, reading-centric relationship between Twinfatuation and Scholastic Books, we just received a courtesy copy of Brian Selznick's newest masterwork, Wonderstruck!

Better yet? We are going to give a copy of this stunning, same-style, similarly formatted tome to a Twinfatuation commenter THIS WEEK! Chances are, it'll arrive in time for Christmas...and would be a weighty, wonderful, full-family gift under the tree.

What do you need to do to enter?

No, you don't need to like Twinfatuation on Facebook. No, you don't need to like Scholastic on Facebook. No, you don't need to Tweet or link your blog to this one. (Granted, if you wish to do any of those things, feel free...especially liking Scholastic, they're fantastic!)

To enter to win simply comment on this post with a title of one of your family's current favorite books...and a single sentence about why. (You may comment once per day through this Thursday at noon EST, but you must list different book titles with each comment. Winner will be announced Friday, December 2.)

GOOD LUCK!



Be sure to check back later for Makes My Monday!

Thoughts on Thanksgiving: He-Twin Style

T ogether holiday
H ungry for more
A nnual reunion
N ot a bad holiday
K raft Maccaroni with supper
S carcity of food is not found
G race is said
I nviting family
V iolin is an instrument we play during Thanksgiving
I nstructing the dog not to eat food
N o more breakfeast tommorow
G oing home again

Way Back When-esday: Wishbone

Dateline: November 2004
Twins' Age: 3

The blessings of having twins are many...none the least of which, well-matched wishbone pullers!

Gratitude abounds for our family this Thanksgiving season; hoping this week finds your home experiencing similar joy.

Why don't you dive into your digital files and play along with Way Back When-esday this Thanksgiving week?

Seek out an overlooked snapshot or scan a scrapbook find...share an image you might not otherwise. Tell the tale and place a post on your blog. Be sure and link back to participate in the web-wide reverie...and please leave a comment when you do!

Confessions and Candor: Part 3

It's what's for supper.

Makes My Monday: The Final Four

He-Twin and She-Twin have a history of spelling bee success.

In first grade, they were both their classroom winners.

In second grade, She-Twin was her classroom winner. (He-Twin was not there on the day of his in-class bee.)

In third grade, they went head-to-head in the school-wide bee---each representing their respective classes.

This year, in fourth grade, He-Twin was his class winner; She-Twin, her class' alternate.

Round after round, He-Twin held his ground. (Please note the sea of emptied seats, and the patient, handsome speller awaiting his next turn in the white tee with denim over-shirt.)

While his disappointment was palpable at his fourth-place finish, He-Twin's performance, his preparation, his calm under pressure, and his sportsmanship completely

M-A-K-E   M-Y   M-O-N-D-A-Y.
(*As does the fact that the winner of the Big Bee was representing She-Twin's class. She-Twin was her alternate.)

Please comment or link up and share what Makes YOUR Monday! 

Semi-Spiritual Sunday Snippet: Acrostic to A-crass-tic

He-Twin's Sunday School exercise....

When I voiced how poignant and thoughtful his choices were, he encouraged me to look on the back of the sheet...

Balance...it's all about the balance.

It's Good to Be King

...especially today, Double Daddy's birthday.

He's an uncannily talented writer. He's the funniest man I have ever met (tidbit: he even did stand-up comedy for a while, he's THAT funny). He's an amazing musician. He's a role model in every way (thoughtfulness and integrity are merely the tip of the iceberg). He squashes cancer impressively (21+ months cancer-free this month); and he manages the "resurrect our house" team---keeping his head all the while. He's a better father than I would have ever dared hope for....and he does it times two.

He's the love of my life.

He's 44 today.

Happy Birthday, Honeybunches. I love you with all my heart.

Way Back When-esday: Serious Spooning

Dateline: April 2003
Twins' Age: 19 months

Happy in their high chairs, He-Twin and She-Twin both loved their high-fat vanilla yogurt (who wouldn't?), but their already divergent body language speaks volumes to future demonstrations of individuality.

He-Twin's "happy feet" and She-Twin's feminine focus warm my mid-week.

Why don't you dive into your digital files and play along with Way Back When-esday?

Seek out an overlooked snapshot or scan a scrapbook find...share an image you might not otherwise. Tell the tale and place a post on your blog. Be sure and link back to participate in the web-wide reverie...and please leave a comment when you do!




Did you know Jeff Kinney's latest in the "Wimpy Kid" series was released yesterday? For He-Twin's review, check out our "Tw-In Reviews" page!

Confessions and Candor: Part 2

In a clear moment of exemplary parenting, I just asked this child if he wanted to turn on the TV to see if a new episode of Dance Moms is available on-demand....

Ooops.

Makes My Monday: Ardent Apologies

Rudeness.

To my thinking, it's the most insidious infraction; and invariably, it's the one that pushes my parenting panic button the most forcefully. After a particularly harsh harangue from She-Twin, she was not only sent to her room, but required to recount in writing (when you write you remember....worked in college, after all...) why and what went awry.

My daughter's darling spirit...and the forgiveness hug that followed...Make My Monday.

Please comment or link up and share what Makes YOUR Monday! 

The Genuine. The Jerky. The Jeans.

He-Twin's pencilled prayer:

Direct, and to the point.

She-Twin's conversation with the Divine:

Transcribed: Dear God, Do you like Slim Jims? I also want to know if you like people. Please tell me. You know, I think McDonalds is pretty good, too. My favorite type of food is chocolate. I would really like it if you wrote me a letter describing the taste of the bacon you can buy in heaven. How do you tell a male chromisone [sic] from a female?

And the not-so-prayerful punchline...

Amen.

Saturday Snapshot: Longing to be a Lapdog

Seventy-plus pounds of Samoyed mix wouldn't typically qualify a canine for "carry" status; but Larry-Dog doesn't let superficial stereotypes hamper his aspirations.

Doesn't look like Double Daddy minds too terribly much....

Another Psycho Shower Scene

While getting into the shower, the bathroom door---without being knocked upon first---bursts open...

Mom (naked, with the irritated tone used when the practice occurred ad nauseum years earlier with twin toddlers): "Darren, the door was closed! You are supposed to knock first. What do you need?"

He-Twin (making a speedy exit): "Therapy, now...."

Way Back When-esday: Love at First Sight

Dateline: July 5, 2010
Twins' Age: 8
Larry-Dog's Estimated Age: 5

Funny how smiles can bring tears, isn't it?

Double Daddy's and Darren's grins as they first met face-to-face---and paw-to-paw---with our now-far-furrier family member warm my heart this mid-week.

Why don't you dive into your digital files and play along with Way Back When-esday?

Seek out an overlooked snapshot or scan a scrapbook find...share an image you might not otherwise. Tell the tale and place a post on your blog. Be sure and link back to participate in the web-wide reverie...and please leave a comment when you do!





*Larry-Dog is an alumni of the Richmond SPCA...where She-Twin now volunteers. (That caregiving brushing hand pictured atop Larry's head is hers.) If you and your family have some love to spare, the SPCA has animals to share!

Philadelphia Freedom

Sitting next to an attentive, well-behaved She-Twin in church Sunday, I placed a gentle, silent kiss upon her cheek. Reflexively, she proceeded to "wipe" it, but the process of wiping went on and on... 


Mom (quietly, with a slightly hurt expression): "Awwww, Sarah...." 


She-Twin (whispering, with a smile): "Mom, I am spreading the kiss all over my face....like cream cheese!"

Be sure to exercise your freedom today, VOTE!
(He-Twin and She-Twin wish they could!)

Makes My Monday: Fall Festival Friends

Crisp air. School spirit. Free butternut squash soup. Flash mob. Fourth grade friends.

He-Twin (painted a la panda) and one of his best buddies (adorned as an eagle) sharing the fall festival fun Make My Monday. 

Please comment or link up and share what Makes YOUR Monday!