Frannywanny

Time flies super fast! As I was going through my old blog posts where I documented the birthday parties of my twins, I realized that I have yet to share about their 5th birthday celebration and here we are, just half a year away from them celebrating their 6th! Ackkk..teka lang! As you know, we have been resorting to full DIY house celebrations since 2020 since we can't go out and meet our families to physically celebrate with them. We're blessed to have such supportive relatives though who were all game enough to always join us as we do a virtual candle blowing for the past 2 years. Last year, as they celebrated their 5th birthday and as restrictions were starting to ease up, we were lucky to be able to go on a trip to make it extra special for them.  Since I was in between career shifts, we took the opportunity of me being on a one-month work break to fly to our favorite city in the world -- SINGAPORE! Make sense, right? The place where we will always feel right at home, whe...

This is a very delayed blog post as my twins celebrated their 4th birthday last October which means, we have 6 more months to go before I put on my DIY Mommy cap and plan for their 5th..OMG..FIFTH (!!!) Birthday Party.  I can still remember the day they were born and I can't believe that they've grown so much since then! If you ask me, 4 years old is the best age so far as they're at this stage wherein they can converse with you properly, they can understand what you're telling them and the world around them, they have better memory which means it's time to start filling their memory banks with trips, family bonding sessions and more. Furthermore, they're learning so much and so fast that I am still at awe that my twins can now do basic math, they know the 8 planets and can read basic words too. There are times though that I wish I can just press the PAUSE button to be able to savor more time with them.  Anyway, let me tell you about their 4th birthday party. I...

I can't believe I have 3 year old twins! It still feels like yesterday when I patiently waited for my scheduled CS day to come and how Paul and I finally welcomed them in this world on that fateful day at 6 in the morning. It's been 3 years of living a purposeful life being called Mama by my intelligent, adorable and very sweet twins J & L.  For someone who loves to plan everything down to the last detail, 2020 really taught us to be flexible, to be resilient, to accept change and to roll with the punches. As they say, when life throws you lemons... you make delicious lemon squares. Haha! Seriously, the year went by so fast and while it wasn't really a smooth sailing one, it's the year where we got to spend the most time with family. Before the pandemic happened, I worry that I might miss out on their developmental years as I have gone back to working full-time and I often wonder if doing so will make me spend less time with them too. I guess, life has its funny way...

Ever since the start of the quarantine, Paul and I have been finding ways on how to keep our twins busy. Of course keeping them busy is easy but we want to do it the right way and that is to allow them to also develop a new skill or to learn something new. Since they can't go to pre-school yet because of the current situation, we took it upon ourselves to be the first teachers of our kids in hopes that somehow, we are prepping them to be ready for formal schooling when the pandemic ends and it's safe for everyone to go out again. I'm usually super busy with work during the weekday so I rely on Paul and my mom to help teach the twins while I deal with calls and my daily workload. However, I try my best to make it up to them during the weekend by giving them my full, undivided attention. On one of the those weekends, I received a package from Zoeily Cookies   and I was so excited! They sent us a ready DIY cookie kit and I know this will get the twins super excited. ...

As a mom, how many times have you felt like you're all alone in your own worries and thoughts?  Most especially for newborn moms, I'm pretty sure the answer is every day . Well, I felt that way when my twins were born. I honestly felt like no one can ever understand what we're going through as everyone had singleton babies and here we are, trying to learn the ropes of parenthood x 2! I got to admit that there were nights when I would burst out crying and it's not the kind that you would cry yourself to sleep because..well... you don't get to sleep! I was just overcome with so much exhaustion, fear and anxiety. I just wanted to do things correctly from the way I breastfeed my babies down to making sure that I get to keep them alive and healthy. I got to say though that Paul has played a huge role in keeping me sane. He never left my side and I'd say that it's because of him that I didn't fell into depression but to all new moms about there, believe me...

Wanna know what was one of the first few words that the twins can both say clearly?  It's.... WOW . Yes, Wow! Every time I walk in the room with a new package or a gift box. They get so excited and would quickly run to their playmat to signal that they're ready to open the box. I guess, it always feels like Christmas morning to these little ones as they just love ripping gift-wrapping papers, opening boxes, seeing the contents, setting the real present aside and play with just the box or the paper "confetti" that comes with it. Haha! Kidding aside, kids will always be kids and the kind folks of Tiny Buds Baby are always spoiling my twins with all these pretty surprise packages that they've been sending our way. This box was actually sent close to half a year ago. I'm so sorry as my blog-lag is terrible! Remember their first unboxing experience was also when they received a package from Tiny Buds  they were just over a year old then and look how fast ...

I'm not going to lie. Being on quarantine and working from home has really caused a lot of anxiety and worry especially during the first week that it was implemented. A lot of questions ran in my head, a lot of uncertainties and fears came out. However, as humans, we are created to adapt to our environment. Temporary or not, we cope with what's happening around us and we find ways wherever we can. For a while back, I was worried how our home routine will be. My kids no longer can go to Kindermusik and we've been looking forward to enrolling them in pre-school this summer which probably will be pushed back till then. That really should be the least of our worries as what we have to prioritize and pray for is that the number of cases will start to drop and no one should fall sick anymore. Enough COVID19...enough! I'm thankful though that the entire family is home to help take care of the twins. Of course there's Paul, Yaya M and even my parents. We take turns in...

Get ready to jump into muddy puddles and celebrate with us! You'll probably be familiar with the phrase "muddy puddles" if you have toddler kids like us. Yes, Peppa Pig is in the house and this was our theme for the second birthday of the twins. After the big party last year, Paul and I decided to keep things simple this year for two reasons: 1) My beloved Angkong just passed away a little more than 100 years ago and.. 2) We just wanted to keep this year's celebration intimate yet fun with family around. I started planning for their birthday as early as March. Yes, not wanting to cram (which I still always end up doing) I started considering various venue options. One, a simple DIY swimming party with cousins where we can prepare fun snacks for kids and a heavy afternoon merienda for our adult guests, another option was to just eat out minus the frills and this, a party that's somewhere in the middle -- that's fun, simple yet memorable. Back in Mar...

I never thought that I'd be the type of mom who loves throwing parties for my little ones. Sure I love to plan but I never thought I'd actually enjoy going through the whole process of thinking of a theme, planning the decor, the food and even the cake. I guess, motherhood can really change you and for me, it has made me a more creative and resourceful mom. Since my twins have just celebrated their 2nd birthday. I thought of doing a throwback and sharing with you how we celebrated their first birthday . As you know, first birthdays are a BIG thing here in our country. It's normally when the parents would really allot a bigger amount of budget and would go through the trouble of securing a venue months or even a year in advance. I don't blame them, after all, a baby turns 1 only once (haha) and well it's also a good way to celebrate 12 full months of sleepless nights parenthood. What more for us as we celebrated 12 full months of surviving twin parenting! Hoor...

My twins, just like their mom, are huge snackers! Meal time can sometimes be stressful especially for my little girl L who can get super picky but when it comes to giving them snacks, they'd grab this with a big big smile. From yogurt to fruits, from bread to their favorite cocoa pops, they love munching and snacking at any given time of the day. One of their favorite thing to snack on is Nosh Baby Munchables  which, I first introduced to them when they were 8 months old. I waited a few months after they got used to eating solids and from that moment that they had their first taste of Nosh , this has been their #1 snack choice till today. Nosh is one of the yummiest and healthiest rice crackers in the market. In fact, I even had a yaya before who would also eat Nosh which was intended for the twins. She's long gone now (thank goodness) but it shows how good it was. We've tried pretty much all the flavors available -- Banana Mango , Strawberry Beet , Blueberry and Pom...

If there's one thing my one year old twins are starting to show great interest in, it's unboxing with Mommy whenever there's a new package that gets sent out way. The sight of a mysterious-looking box most especially one wrapped in a big bow never fails to make them clap with happiness and quickly crawl/baby walk towards me. Sometimes, I would patiently wait for them to wake up from their nap in order for us to unbox the package together. Oh how I wish they'll never get tired doing this with me even as they grow up. That said, I shall start a new series in this blog where I will be featuring the different boxes/packages that my twins and I have unboxed and their genuine reaction towards it coupled with my  personal thoughts about the product too. Thus, I present you my first entry under "Unboxing with the #AngTwins" . Tadaahhhh!

My dearest J & L, You're both a year old today! Wow, I can't believe it has been a year since you both came out from Mommy's tummy and that officially was the start of a brand new (and exciting) chapter in my life. It still feels like yesterday when I was wheeled into the delivery room with my blood pressure going haywire and at exactly 6:36AM, I first heard the best sound in the world -- my little J's first cry. This was followed a minute after with L's slightly delayed but equally powerful cry. Since then, we've been celebrating a lot of firsts. Your first smile, your first babble, your first clap, your first solids, the first time you clearly said "Mama" then "Papa" and a lot more words following that. Perhaps right now, you're still fully dependent on Mommy and Daddy but let me tell you one thing. I am really grateful to be your Mommy. Looking back at the past 12 months, you have thought me a lot of things and I'd lik...

At this age, my twins are more receptive towards routine. Day in and out, we have established certain routines in order for them to have better sleep patterns. I guess, this is also one thing that we made sure to have as taking care of twins is no walk in the park if you're not organized or have not done any routine to get them accustomed to their daily schedules. Bedtime for my twins is something we have first established as soon as they were born. It begins late in the afternoon where we give them a quick warm bath. They love this so much as it makes them feel relaxed and refreshed instantly. There are days when we're out till late so to make up for this, I'd always clean them up thoroughly as my twins have someone took on my OC nature and do not like feeling sticky, warm or icky. Following this, they would brush their teeth. This is something we've recently introduced as they have lots of teeth now and are eating more solids then before. Luckily, it's not har...

My twins turns 9 months today. WOW . I've been a proud Mommy for 9 full months already! If you put things into perspective, 9 months is how long it takes for a baby to form inside a Mother's womb. It still feels like yesterday when I was wheeled into the delivery room and I heard the cries of J and L for the first time. I can still remember how small and fragile they were. How we would carry them so carefully to support their necks. Today, both are talking, crawling, rolling over, attempting to climb, eating solids kind of toddlers already. They're no longer considered newborns but they still do smell like one so I'm totally fine with that. Aside from this, this also means that I've been breastfeeding them for 9 full months already. It was no easy feat so please allow me to beam a little and give myself a small pat at the back for going this far. I'm not going to lie though, I came this far because I got help . Help from close friends who offered to share ...

Do you ever have those moments when you'd wonder where did that time go? I do. Every. Single Day. Since I delivered my twins, I would always have an early start in the morning where I'm awaken by either L or J. It really depends who wakes me up. L would normally wake us up with a sudden high pitch scream followed by minutes of whining. J, on the other hand, is the jollier twin and he would start babbling really loudly. At times, to get my attention, he'll start kicking too knowing that that will really push me to stand up and pick him up. One thing they do in common is as soon as they see my face, they'll give me the cutest, most adorable toothless smile ever. This is followed by changing their diapers, playing with them, feeding them, getting them to nap and the cycle goes around about 3-4 times in the day. Before I know it, it's 6pm and we start their bedtime routine by giving them both warm baths, turning on their sleeping music and putting them to bed. Yes, f...

During one of our recent meet-up with friends, some of them gave us sweet encouraging messages on how they're at awe on how we're raising our twins and still look human during the day. Well aside from the fact that they didn't get to see us during the first two months of being twin parents, we're also blessed to have very disciplined kids who can now sleep through the night which allows us to have better sleep or at least some quality evening time. There are still fussy nights but they come rarely and we get over them quickly. Modesty aside though, I never felt like what Paul and I are doing is something out of the ordinary. To us, this is our NORMAL. For us, it's normal to repeatedly change two sets of diapers each time, it's normal to prepare two bottles every time, it's normal to tandem feed, it's normal to deal with two crying babies, it's normal to put two babies to sleep at the same time, the list can go on and on. I guess we're also lu...

"Twin A out at 6:36AM" "Twin B out at 6:37AM" Despite how groggy I was so early in the morning of 25 October 2017, these two statements were heard loud and clear by everyone in the operating room and these marked the start of a new chapter of my life. I'm finally and officially a Mommy. For months leading up to my delivery, I would try to imagine how that moment would actually be. I honestly thought I'd cry. Well, I didn't. In fact I didn't say a word as I was barely conscious but I caught Paul's eye right at the moment we first heard J's cry followed by L's and all I saw was love... pure, unconditional love and happiness. Our first month as parents was unfortunately not an easy walk in the park. It began with our babies having to be admitted in the NICU for two weeks as they were born underweight. I was on my one-month ge lai where I wasn't supposed to go out and I have to keep myself warm but I seriously pushed all these prac...