By Holly Engel-Smothers
Picture books from our childhood evoke warm, fuzzy feelings and can bring back a flood of memories. They remind us of some long lost friends: Winnie the Pooh, the "Goodnight Moon" bunny, Brown Bear. When we rediscover these classics, we can almost smell our childhood bedrooms, feel our blankies, and hear our own mom or dad reading to us.
But picture books are important for more than just the obvious "telling a story" reasons. They are not just for fun! The pictures in books are actually vital for children to learn to build mental pictures of a story. If we have a mental image of details from a story, then comprehension and understanding of the material are greatly increased.
One strategy to increase visual understanding and imaging of a story is to model using all five senses when looking at a picture. Some examples are: Click to read the rest of this entry
By Sam Reich-Dagnen
Once upon a time, when our twins--Blaise and Logan--were almost three, my husband and I had a vision. That vision was enough motivation to rethink our lives, our sense of family and our careers . . . soon Braincandy was born! In April of 2004 we quit our jobs and set up an office in the laundry room of our Seattle home. Having young twins was a handful and like all parents there were times when we just needed a little down time to take a shower or make dinner! In our diligent efforts to be conscientious parents, we discovered that what we were looking for--developmentally appropriate content that truly engaged our children rather than just putting them to sleep--wasn't available. That's when we began to form the ideas and concepts behind Braincandy. Editing our first DVD between "spin cycles" and the zen-like sounds of our Kenmore dryer, we saw our vision turn into reality. Click to read the rest of this entry
by Christina Baglivi Tinglof
Even if it's impossible for you to offer each twin his or
her own bedroom, there are clever ways to give the illusion of privacy when two
share the same space. It just takes a bit of imagination and a little bit of
sweat. So roll up your sleeves and get to work!
Click to read the rest of this entry
By The Nutrition Twins®
Tammy Lakatos Shames, RD, CDN, CFT and Lyssie Lakatos, RD, CDN, CFT
Why do you need protein when you're pregnant?
Protein is necessary for the growth and development of all new cells. It's needed for proper growth and development of the baby, as well as for the placenta, amniotic tissues and maternal tissues. Blood volume increases by 50% during pregnancy and protein is essential for blood production.
How much protein should you get? Click to read the rest of this entry
The following celebrities are twins. Some of them may surprise you!
Mario Andretti
Karen Black
Gisele Bundchen
Jose Canseco
Aaron Carter
Ann B. Davis
Vin Diesel
John A. Elway
Horace Grant
Deidre Hall
Linda Hamilton
Paul and Morgan Hamm
Heloise
Jill Hennessy
Scarlett Johansson
Ashton Kutcher
Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren (Dear Abby)
Joel and Benji Madden
Alanis Morissette
Tia and Tamera Mowry
Gunnar Nelson
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Alexandra Paul
Isabella Rossellini
Kiefer Sutherland
Sawyer and Sullivan Sweeten
Billy Dee Williams
By Jennifer Walker, RN, BSN and Laura Hunter, LPN
1. If one baby eats, they both eat--period. Even if one twin does not appear hungry, feed that one anyway. Keep them on the exact same schedule and we mean it! It is okay to put them both in bouncy seats and feed them simultaneously with bottles. Just remember to talk softly to both of them and give them each a few minutes of your full attention. Breast-feeders can hold both babies in the football hold and feed at the same time. Click to read the rest of this entry
ONE YEAR OLDS LAND NATIONAL AD CAMPAIGN WITH BRAWNY®
New York, N.Y.--March 12, 2008--Twin year old tots, Sabrina and Courtney Walsh, have just landed a national ad campaign with consumer paper towel giant, Brawny®, thanks to TheCuteKid.com, now the world's biggest online child photo and family site.
Veteran talent agent, Tamara Markowitz, hired by Brawny to find the little faces for its new campaign, turned to what has become her favorite trade tool, TheCuteKid.com. After a few lucky clicks, she struck advertising gold, calling Melissa Kay, Talent & Casting Relations at TheCuteKidTM to report she'd found the Brawny® kids on the site. Click to read the rest of this entry
Every year, more than 3,000 sets of twins of all ages and from all around the world gather in Twinsburg, Ohio. It is the world's largest annual gathering of twins! Held the first weekend in August, the Twins Days Festival is an occasion for fun, as well as scientific exploration. Each year, researchers and scientists show up to conduct various surveys and experiments with twin participants. Other events include a "Double Take" parade, a twins' talent show, fireworks, a golf outing and other contests. There has even been a double wedding-twins marrying twins, of course! So, how did this amazing gathering get started? Here's a history lesson: Click to read the rest of this entry
By Lisa Henshaw
Following are some tricks-of-the-trade that I use to keep my twin toddlers entertained: Click to read the rest of this entry
By Lynda P. Haddon
There are two types of losses which, in my opinion, are often overlooked, not only by family and friends, but also by many professionals, including medical practitioners, therapists and grief counsellors. Those two losses are Vanishing Twin and Multifetal Pregnancy Reduction. For reasons which can be understood, although debated, one can see why they might be marginalized (it's an early loss..., "you hadn't yet had time to bond with your child(ren)" or "at least you still have one [two]"). However judging by the number of e-mails I receive from families with questions, disbelief, concerns and aching hearts, I think, as a society, we need to take a hard and long look at how we are supporting (or seemingly not supporting) families experiencing such losses. Click to read the rest of this entry