It’s been a while since I’ve done a Twin Tuesday post, but there have been quite a few twin stories in the news over the past week, I’d like to share them with you…

• “Having twins in your class – and not being able to tell one from the other – is a teacher’s nightmare, so imagine how confused staff were when five sets turned up at the start of the new school year.” Read more on the Daily Mail website.

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This week’s Twin Tuesday QOTW is:

Have you taken your twins on a road trip, yet? And, if so, any tips/tricks for making the ride smoother?

Shortly after our girls turned one, Hubby and I took them away on holiday to Wales for a week.  We stayed in a caravan site, just outside Prestatyn in North Wales.  The girls were so well behaved during the journey (which I think took us about 5 hours with a few stops).

We made sure the girls had a selection of toys to play with in the car and, thankfully they actually slept for much of the journey.

Four years on, and we went on a family holiday to Florida last summer.  Our trip involved flying to London Gatwick in the first instance, and then a long haul flight to Orlando.  The girls were patient, relaxed and well behaved throughout the journey.  They had little backpacks with story books, colouring books, puzzle books and a couple of dolls and fave soft toys, as well as some snacks. 

You can link up with TwinHappy Jen on her TwinHappy blog here or join the blog hop below.

On Twitter @TwinParenthood also posed a twin-related question today:

TwinParenthood

Twin Parents: Are tantrums worse with twins? What age is the peak? Tips to cope?

Well, I am very lucky that I’ve never had much of a tantrum problem with my daughters .  Don’t get me wrong, they have had their moments, but they’ve been rare.

When they were toddlers, we used the “Naughty Step” as a way of tackling tantrums and bad behaviour.  It was mostly used after a spat between the girls.  They often used to fight over toys! 

I have never really had to deal with a double-whammy tantrum in the supermarket or shopping centre.  There was the odd ‘wobble’ with them fighting for space in the cramped supermarket trolley seats, but that was all really!

They’re now almost six years old, and I couldn’t tell you the last time we needed to use the “Naughty Step”.  They play well together most of the time now and, though there may be the occasional wee niggle, they rarely come to blows.

I am very lucky that I can take my girls anywhere with me and know that they will behave.  I often take them to the hairdressers, beauty salon or opticians with me, and they wait patiently for me in the waiting areas, reading, drawing or playing their DSi.

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“A 31-year-old woman has given birth to sextuplets at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxfordshire.

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“Many new fathers experience post-natal depression, yet most cases go undetected and untreated, experts warn.

One in 10 new fathers may have the baby blues, US researchers believe – based on their trawl of medical literature.

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I’ve just read an interesting BBC News article on the pros and cons of a flightless world, which has been inspired by the recent airspace restrictions over Europe, due to the volcanic ash cloud.  The article definitely provides food for thought.

Personally, the prospect of not having the option to fly off to sunnier climes for a fortnight’s holiday fills me with dread.  There’s a beautiful big world out there and I want to see as much of it as I can!  Furthermore, I have family over in Canada, who I wouldn’t get to see very often if we had to rely on travel by boat.

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Today pupils and teachers are due to return to school  after the two-week Easter break.  However, there will be empty seats and a shortage of teachers, due to people being stranded abroad because of the volanic ash cloud.

An extended Easter break may be appealing to many, but what happens when your employer seeks to dock your wages for failing to return to work?  It hardly seems fair to be penalised for something which is outwith your control.  Nevertheless, a local authority in the West Midlands has stated that it will dock pay from teachers who fail to return to work today.  It advises teachers to claim their travel insurance for lost earnings.

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“Boys naturally gravitate towards cars and girls towards dolls from the moment they first crawl, a study suggests.

City University researchers put a range of toys a meter from 90 children – aged nine to 36 months – and recorded what was played with and for how long.

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As a mum of twins, I like to participate in the Twin Tuesday meme on the Twin Happy blog.

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I’ve just read an article that initially made me laugh, but then made me stop and consider the implications of my choice of words and phrases in my blog post content and, in particular, my choice of permalink titles.  The article highlighted the problem of trigger happy spam filters blocking harmless websites and emails because of certain words or syllables being perceived, out of context, as obscenities.

“After 90 years, one of Canada’s oldest magazines, The Beaver, is changing its name.

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“Giving presents to teachers is becoming increasingly commercialised and competitive, a teachers’ union warns.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) says pupils and parents should not feel pressurised into buying end-of-term gifts for their teachers.”
(Source: BBC 26/03/10)

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It’s Twin Tuesday! 

I like to participate in Twin Happy Jen’s meme every week, though I haven’t actually done this for a couple of weeks.

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TV bosses in the US have apologised after preview clips of the Playboy channel were accidentally played out on two children’s channels.

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Parents of children deemed unfit are to be sent warning letters from schools.

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Concerns about the quality of food given to thousands of toddlers in England’s nurseries have been raised in a government-commissioned report.

The School Food Trust report suggests food served by childminders and nurseries is too high in fat, sugar and salt, and lacks essential nutrients.

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