Get on a schedule. It’s not about how they will turn out as people but about your sanity.

No one ever told me to follow a schedule??? I don’t know how Instagram didn’t get in my face about those sleep schedule accounts (wish they did!) So for the first 6 months we just were winging it based on how much we had to feed them and when and when they seemed to be sleepy. Which honestly, with twins, was not ideal. Nap times were never consistent and we didn’t ever get real time to ourselves except for at night.

That is my only regret from those early months. I think life would have been a lot easier and we would have had a more predictable day - as predictable as you can get with twins.

My twins are almost 3 now and obviously they are fine from the chaos of the first year but they have never, ever done well with a nap schedule and eating schedule and I blame myself🤣

Same here. My twins used to get bath, a few books, and went to sleep in their cribs without so much as a whine.

Once we switched to toddler beds at 2.5, the routine, immediately, became over an hour. 😅

I finished:

Anita de Monte Laughs Last - Xóchitl Gonzàlez - I really enjoyed how Anita narrates from beyond the grave (not a spoiler, it is on the first page). I would recommend this but beware it is pretty harrowing tale tackling domestic abuse and racial injustice (putting both lightly) but was also darkly funny.

People We Meet on Vacation - Emily Henry - this was my first Emily Henry and I actually really liked it. I could not get through the first few chapters of Book Lovers so I was weary going in to this. I thought a lot of the conversation (very dialogue heavy) was pretty funny. I will say though I haven't been reading descriptions very closely and thought it was about two platonic female friends traveling the world and meeting tons of people.

I am currently reading Listen for the Lie - Amy Tintera - I am halfway through and it is pretty entertaining.

Ha, I get that. It is hard and a bit guilt inducing when I am scouring the internet for tips and constantly see "DON'T POTTY TRAIN BEFORE YOUR KIDS ARE READY!!!!11!!!" as though it will scar them for life. I know it won't it's just, gaaahhh

I have twins who are 3 months shy of 3 years old. Their daycare is, of course, a lot of money, over $50k a year for the two of them. We somehow got them spots at a preschool within walking distance of our house that will cut that price down to $18,000 a year. That is......life changing for us. They will start at the end of August.

The kicker is they have to be potty trained. We started two weeks ago and it is going great for one of them, not great for the other. I get that they might not be 100% ready, but if getting them potty trained means saving $35,000....it just needs to happen. But I am feeling like a shitty mom for pushing it when it might not be time.

There are a lot of other reasons to want to go to this school - stability, proximity to home, historically great reviews, vs our daycare that is the absolute opposite. I just don't know what to do.

That is his legal name. I don't even follow her but for some reason know this tid bit of info about them lmao

No? Love typhoon. I’ve also heard there are new owners of Thai gardens and it’s getting better than it used to be.

There are a ton of great restaurants.

Off the top of my my head, the staples:

• Fiore for Italian. Great garlic knots.
• Brew bakers - good lunch option, bagels and sandwiches
• hachi - sushi
• typhoon - great Thai
• krust - fancy pizza and whiskey bar. Mondo is better for a classic pie but Krust is fun
  • Eli’s - bar food and beer. Their wings are mid these days but a good option to have on Main Street
• perkatory, story & soil and sweet harmony are all great coffee spots with light bites. Perk on main is ok but I’d go to these three before going there.
• fujiya ramen js supposed to be some of the best ramen in the state!
• Stella Dora, Luce and Esca are also fine Italian / American options as well.
• people love Cantina for Italian as well (my parents included) but I am not a huge fan. Very old school spot.
• there is also a new spot on the water, Tate’s, by the owners of Eli’s. Haven’t been yet, we will see how they do with the flooding.
• dessert, Nora’s cupcakes and right Nextdoor is a fairly new ice cream spot.

I realize this went off of your original questions of the best but really there is nothing bad on Main Street. It’s a great place to have close by.

Fairfield on post road has everything you could need within walking distance - apartments, gyms, grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, coffee shops, train to nyc. They are also on the public bus route. The beach is about a mile from post road, so a bike would be the best bet for that. Depends on what outrageously expensive means though.

We recently transitioned as well. 90 mins was the norm for settling for the first week. Now my boy puts himself to bed within 45 mins of playing in his room and/or delaying bedtime. But thankfully he stays in his bed til the morning.

My girl will stay in her bed for 2 hours and then come to our room for the rest of the night.

We transitioned about a month ago. It’s definitely not fun.

Some kids just take to it and some take advantage of the freedom.

Set boundaries and hold them. This is about you and your partner. Don't have a big 60 person shower if you'd rather have a small, 10 person lunch. Don't be pushed into large bridal parties or bachelorettes. Sit down with your partner and compromise about the upcoming events and how the wedding will run - do you want to do a goofy entrance or is that stressful for you? Etc etc

Advil or tylenol will help too. Signed, a red head

Nonprofit executive. They want me back in the office but I negotiated when I had my twins - told them I’d quit and they changed my employment agreement.

Simply Scone in Milford! https://www.instagram.com/itssimplyscones?igsh=dHppaWVocTd0aHV2

If you have an Aldi’s near you, their fruit is soooo cheap.

I am an exec at a nonprofit and husband is in insurance. After health insurance, 401k, taxes, etc our take home is about $13k a month.

Tbh we live in a HCOL city and $13k feels like….not much with two kids. Our mortgage and daycare costs alone are $8,000 a month (daycare being $4500). We do not save nearly enough as we want. We could cut back in take out and little luxuries but in this chaotic life, they keep me sane. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I finished How to Stop Time, Matt Haig - I found this a bit boring but I did love the premise of someone living 1,000 years and going through all of these different cultural periods. I also did not find the bulk of the book to jive with the ending. I think there could have been more of a tie in.

I also finished The Housemaid, Sarah A. Denzil - an entertaining mystery but very surface level and, at times, cringey.

I am now reading Moonflower Murders, Anthony Horowitz - I love Horowitz and don't know how I missed this one as I read his books immediately when they come out. However....WHY do so many of his characters hate or say disparaging remarks about homosexuals? Am I missing something????

Same here. It is important to my husband so we do 2-3 times a week. We work from home together though, so if we only had nights and weekends, it'd be much more difficult to fit it in. And my kids are almost 3 too so our lives have normalized a bit.

My twins are almost 3 and the mornings I go into the office I put the tv for them to chill in front of. 🤷🏼‍♀️everything else - backpacks and lunches are done before they wake up.

They get out of bed at 6. We do a quick change of clothes. A quick breakfast (yogurt pouches and fruit or a waffle and fruit) while they watch tv and I get everything in the car, then off we go.

I am thinking a gate outside of their doors might be the way to go. That way they don’t feel too trapped.

Just chiming in to say theoretically it’s cheaper unless your daycare raises their prices so astronomically each year. I am now paying $700 more a month for my pre schoolers than I was when they were infants. 🙃

That is so awesome for three weeks old! You are doing more than most of us did at that point :)

Thank you. This message is very comforting.

A lot of people go for the fun items aka not the Tylenols and shampoo, and oftentimes those aren’t bought so I would go with a basket of smaller items like that. And you know 100% they will be used :) I’d definitely buy all of the wished for things.

Granted this isn’t from my registry but my neighbor put together a basket like this right after my twins were born. A few months later my kiddo had a fever at 3am and the only reason I had Tylenol was because of that basket. So maybe I’m biased ha