It occurred to me that while everyone will tell you that the time to worry about a child is when he is quiet, this is not necessarily so with twins. Outside of something drastic, the time to worry with twins, particularly boys I think, is when they are WHISPERING. Yes, it's the little exchanges they share that you can barely hear--those are the ones that should raise an eyebrow, as rest assured, they are up to something.
But I also guarantee you that if you ask them what they're up to, you will get the pat response, "Nothing." So the best you can do is wait to hear gems like these to alert you to trouble. And lucky for you, I've already heard these gems and lived through them to know what's required so that YOU (hopefully!) don't have to hear them also! Here goes...
1) "It went down the hole Mommy!"
This phrase I've learned is directly associated to water, and to the drainage system for that water. It can be a bathtub, a sink, a hot tub, a pool, an outdoor shower--you get the point. It's amazing how expensive that little 3-pack of Carter's washcloths becomes when one of them has traversed the pipe leaving your bathtub. Solution? Without even giving it another thought, go out and buy drain catches in all shapes and sizes and install them. The key is to make them appear to be permanent fixtures to your little cherubs, but you ideally want to be able to remove them.
2) "The potty won't flush!"
I could've included this in #1 above, as yes, things seem to wind up down this hole, too. But the problem is that you really can't employ a drain catch here, can you? So this requires a different solution. And no, you will not be able to keep every possible item out of the "look! there it goes!" game that children (ok, my children) love to play with the toilet. But one simple thing you can do is purchase that "1,000 sheets lasts longer" & "safe for septics!" Scott's toilet paper. It's simple things like this that can save you some aggravation. Take it from one who has spent a few times digging wads of Charmin Ultra out of the porcelain funnel. Buy the Scott's. And lock the "grown-up" bathrooms where you do decide to keep the Charmin's.
3) "My juice box is empty! Where'd it go?"
This seems innocent at first--"what? did he drink it?" you think. Then you see the long stream of drippy wetness on the table, and the floor, and... First off, try to give a child a "portable" beverage and think that he will sit properly at a table without moving--particularly when it's not a mealtime of any sort. And you could try to always use sippy cups. But unfortunately there comes a time when the convenience of juice boxes becomes appealing--and this usually occurs when your kids are at that "bridge" stage--i.e., too old for sippy's, not quite old enough to be toting around uncovered glasses. If you don't want to find that 100% no-sugar-added juice you searched all over for all over your floor, buy those Juice Pal juice box holders. They're inexpensive and indispensible. And they're available at places like One Step Ahead (http://www.onestepahead.com/)
4) Whispering.
I mentioned this earlier. An easy solution? An intercom system that allows for monitoring. These don't have to be pricey, and in a house with a lot of steps, they really come in handy--even for their original purpose as an intercom. The intercom system I have has a little "lock" feature that allows continual monitoring. The beauty of it is that you can almost hear a pin drop with the thing. So when I hear comments like "look! it's a screwdriver!" I know that I have 3.8 seconds to get to wherever the sound originated from to ward off any damage or injury. The key here is to get an intercom system--not a baby monitor. The baby monitors tend to pick up too much interference--at least the ones I've used--they're great for babies, but you'll want hit the big leagues for your little leaguers.
5) "The remote is empty Mommy, look!"
This can apply to anything that requires batteries. But most things with batteries that kids get their hands on are things that you really don't mind if the batteries get lost. The remote controls you have, however, are another story. If you're like me, you have a remote for the following: televisions, stereo system, DVD player, VCR player (still have one of those), garage door opener, central air system, am I missing any? One little solution that seems like a no-brainer but is easily overlooked is...Velcro! Yes, do yourself a favor and find a nice spot--perhaps a centralized closet space--and throw some velcro strips on the wall. Place the "partner" piece of the velcro on the back of the remotes. Hang the remotes up. Yes, it requires some diligence to re-hang them up after use, but trust me, you won't lose a remote or find one without its batteries ever again!
6) "Look Mommy! A bind!"
One of my little guys is working on better enunciation of his "L"s. So at first glance, this is a bit unintelligible. But when you realize he means "blind", you begin to understand. And what you understand is that another slat of your blinds--usually vertical ones--is now down and there is not a prayer in you-know-what of it returning to its original state in front of your window. Solution? In addition to it being much safer to not have long blind and drapery cords around little children, it's also better to avoid them so you don't have to watch them become irreparably dismantled. TAKE THEM DOWN. Verticals, venetians, all of them. Put up anything else, but get rid of the blinds. If you don't, your little twosome will.
But I also guarantee you that if you ask them what they're up to, you will get the pat response, "Nothing." So the best you can do is wait to hear gems like these to alert you to trouble. And lucky for you, I've already heard these gems and lived through them to know what's required so that YOU (hopefully!) don't have to hear them also! Here goes...
1) "It went down the hole Mommy!"
This phrase I've learned is directly associated to water, and to the drainage system for that water. It can be a bathtub, a sink, a hot tub, a pool, an outdoor shower--you get the point. It's amazing how expensive that little 3-pack of Carter's washcloths becomes when one of them has traversed the pipe leaving your bathtub. Solution? Without even giving it another thought, go out and buy drain catches in all shapes and sizes and install them. The key is to make them appear to be permanent fixtures to your little cherubs, but you ideally want to be able to remove them.
2) "The potty won't flush!"
I could've included this in #1 above, as yes, things seem to wind up down this hole, too. But the problem is that you really can't employ a drain catch here, can you? So this requires a different solution. And no, you will not be able to keep every possible item out of the "look! there it goes!" game that children (ok, my children) love to play with the toilet. But one simple thing you can do is purchase that "1,000 sheets lasts longer" & "safe for septics!" Scott's toilet paper. It's simple things like this that can save you some aggravation. Take it from one who has spent a few times digging wads of Charmin Ultra out of the porcelain funnel. Buy the Scott's. And lock the "grown-up" bathrooms where you do decide to keep the Charmin's.
3) "My juice box is empty! Where'd it go?"
This seems innocent at first--"what? did he drink it?" you think. Then you see the long stream of drippy wetness on the table, and the floor, and... First off, try to give a child a "portable" beverage and think that he will sit properly at a table without moving--particularly when it's not a mealtime of any sort. And you could try to always use sippy cups. But unfortunately there comes a time when the convenience of juice boxes becomes appealing--and this usually occurs when your kids are at that "bridge" stage--i.e., too old for sippy's, not quite old enough to be toting around uncovered glasses. If you don't want to find that 100% no-sugar-added juice you searched all over for all over your floor, buy those Juice Pal juice box holders. They're inexpensive and indispensible. And they're available at places like One Step Ahead (http://www.onestepahead.com/)
4) Whispering.
I mentioned this earlier. An easy solution? An intercom system that allows for monitoring. These don't have to be pricey, and in a house with a lot of steps, they really come in handy--even for their original purpose as an intercom. The intercom system I have has a little "lock" feature that allows continual monitoring. The beauty of it is that you can almost hear a pin drop with the thing. So when I hear comments like "look! it's a screwdriver!" I know that I have 3.8 seconds to get to wherever the sound originated from to ward off any damage or injury. The key here is to get an intercom system--not a baby monitor. The baby monitors tend to pick up too much interference--at least the ones I've used--they're great for babies, but you'll want hit the big leagues for your little leaguers.
5) "The remote is empty Mommy, look!"
This can apply to anything that requires batteries. But most things with batteries that kids get their hands on are things that you really don't mind if the batteries get lost. The remote controls you have, however, are another story. If you're like me, you have a remote for the following: televisions, stereo system, DVD player, VCR player (still have one of those), garage door opener, central air system, am I missing any? One little solution that seems like a no-brainer but is easily overlooked is...Velcro! Yes, do yourself a favor and find a nice spot--perhaps a centralized closet space--and throw some velcro strips on the wall. Place the "partner" piece of the velcro on the back of the remotes. Hang the remotes up. Yes, it requires some diligence to re-hang them up after use, but trust me, you won't lose a remote or find one without its batteries ever again!
6) "Look Mommy! A bind!"
One of my little guys is working on better enunciation of his "L"s. So at first glance, this is a bit unintelligible. But when you realize he means "blind", you begin to understand. And what you understand is that another slat of your blinds--usually vertical ones--is now down and there is not a prayer in you-know-what of it returning to its original state in front of your window. Solution? In addition to it being much safer to not have long blind and drapery cords around little children, it's also better to avoid them so you don't have to watch them become irreparably dismantled. TAKE THEM DOWN. Verticals, venetians, all of them. Put up anything else, but get rid of the blinds. If you don't, your little twosome will.
