*Insert Random Curse Word Here*We Have Twin Toddlers. And It's Insane.

We are in the midst of toddlerhood times two here in the B household and I am definitely feeling the affects of this major life shift. I always said I was dreading the days when they learned how to walk and now if you spend just five minutes here you will know why. We are but peasants to two tiny tyrants who, sweet and adorable as they are, have discovered they have real live wants and needs and feelings and words and the need to explore and express these things at all times at about 100 miles per hour.

It's insane. Sometimes I just sit back and look around at the books and blocks strewn about, the scooters half upside down and the climber that's been shoved across the room while I listen to them alternate between fighting, chattering and running. All I can think is - I used to handle a whole mess of kids ranging in age from 6 weeks to 12 years at one time and YOU GUYS got me beat? How? I know it's because they're mine but I'll be damned if the twin thing doesn't have something to do with it.  Even when I had two or three two year olds at one time I don't ever recall it being this bad. They're practically on top of each other half the time and for no reason (that I can see) other than that they're twinsters.

Although it's sometimes so cute.

They've started this lovely little game of fighting over absolutely everything. It's an even better version of siblings arguing because I don't have the benefit of an older kid who actually understands consequences and might back down (although I guess they often make the whole thing worse). I hate every single object that doesn't have multiple parts of the same color or that we don't have two of. I think things daily like: "Do you really HAVE to be on the slide the second your sister climbed up there when you haven't even LOOKED at it in two days?!" or "Seriously. There are 37 books on that shelf and you both have to have the owl one right now!?" It's like a perpetual play date except when they fight I can't just second one home.

Don't do it! Noooo!

Obviously I know why my life has been turned upside down. I get it all, the blah-di-blah developmental psycho-emotional stuff but that knowledge does not make this any easier. I still want to rip my hair out sometimes, like when I'm chasing one down the hall trying to get her shoes on while the other one is sitting by the door, ready to go 2 seconds ago, taking off her hat, mittens and shoes that I just got on. Thank god they can't unzip their coats yet. Oh, and the grabbing. We can't even go to the supermarket anymore because it's like I have an octopus in my cart and I'm terrified of that one loose jar of spaghetti sauce crashing to the floor. I still loooove my buggy bench but I'm hoping to try one of those car carts out next time I get the whim to grocery shop with them instead of taking my time all alone at 7pm on a Tuesday night while Daddy does bedtime.

Still, that knowledge that they are in the throes of coming alive and literally can't help themselves and where it all comes from is helping me do everything I can to facilitate and nurture ALL of us. While my patience sometimes wears thin I've got a pretty good handle on getting some chill time when I need it. Thankfully, they rock at playing alone right now - which isn't exactly true since neither one has been without the other for more than a few hours in 18 months. So, I guess they play well with others already? Either way I get a good chunk of time in the day that I don't have to be on top of them. It's far from "me" time since I'm usually cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, washing diapers or dishes but at least I can get some of that done.

But then, inevitably and ever the bane of my existence, the guilt sets in. As I watch them play or break up another battle or feel one run up to me with a big hug, I catch myself, no matter what I'm doing, and remember: I have twin toddlers. And I worry about all the things.

No one does a worry face better than me, except Viv.

That I'm not talking to them or interacting with them enough. Never mind that I talk too much as it is and they already have each other. Although neither one is really talking yet, so they just repeat each other (all the time. in stereo: "cat, cat, cat, cat, ball, ball, ball, ma, ma, ma, ma.".)  Or that I'm not being playful enough in one day or that I'm on my phone too much.  Like I don't spend every waking moment thinking about, planning for and cleaning up after all of us on top of the countless time we play. And Daddy is amazing at playing - he gets them going so fast and laughing so hard!

Thanks to this guilt, I used to drop everything and go and try to get an activity started or talk to them or do something to make us all feel more connected and although they used to light up and crawl on me for a snuggle, now they will shoot me a cheese face and go back to their business. I've finally learned how to peek in but not interrupt, I just watch and touch base when they're ready.  It's great and they clearly enjoy their time alone/together. You'd think that would be enough for me to lose the self-loathing crap but I'm starting to learn that just comes with the new mom gig.

Because now I stress that they aren't attached to me enough because they don't care that I'm not there all the time. No worries though, we recently hit the awesomely amazing separation anxiety phase and I want to jump off a bridge sometimes. My minutes to myself have all but vanished and everyone we know is now a perfect stranger requiring 20 minutes of screaming upon arrival.

Like I said, it's all insane.

There's lots of Let It Go singing (by me, they can't sing yet) and I am seriously so grateful for my depth of knowledge in the fine arts of playroom organization, kid's songs and mid-run diaper changes. There are days when I don't know how anyone who has ever worked with a toddler before would willingly choose to have a baby knowing it becomes one.  Are we all crazy?

No, because as hard as it is, it is so much fun! Toddlers are silly. And capable of SO much compared to their babyselves. And toddler twins rock even more because they have each other. I read a listicle once that said that was one of the best parts of twins was that built in playmate and although sometimes I am ready to lose it with the fighting I have to say it's a huge perk.They are weighing options and making choices rather than acting on straight up raw emotionally fueled impulses all the time. Because half the time that ish gets shut down by their mirror image and they realize, oh hey, I'm not totally the center of the universe - at least, I have to share it with someone else.

It's cool because they don't have a choice - nobody is going anywhere, remember? So they're figuring out what works and what makes their lives harder and I get to watch it all unfold. They don't give a crap what makes my life harder yet though and I don't foresee that changing. Ever. But damn if they don't make me laugh so hard every day.

How long do you think we lasted before there were beans and pasta everywhere? A shocking 13 minutes!

I don't know when I'll feel comfortable taking them somewhere where they could run away by myself and it's too damn cold to go outside but luckily we've got a fresh stock of books, art and exploration supplies and an upgraded playroom (complete with a huge empty box that I cant bare to throw out because they are obsessed.)  Now if I could just get them to put things away when they're done playing with them ... ha!

I hope you all out in the real world are doing awesome. My Bff who is 8+ months pregnant broke her hand tonight so please send her happy and wonderful vibes! Don't forget about me as I trail off into the vast new world of twin toddlerdom. If you wish to reach out, please send me messages and chocolate and wine.

Actually, just send wine.

Xo,
Maigen

Oh goody, another thing to feel guilty about! Or not.

I was scrolling through facebook earlier and saw an adorable picture posted in one of my twin groups of a Dad feeding his baby boys. They were probably a month or two old and he had them laying in front of him on a boppy pillow, holding the bottles in one hand and his phone in the other. It made me laugh because it was so familiar. It was exactly how we spent the first months of our girls' lives - every 2-3 hours of every day. Aside from the fact that when it was me I was attached to a pump as well.

Like always I had to read the comments, although I knew they'd all say something along the lines of "So cute" or "Good job" or "That's how we did it!" But then this chick comes in and, very politely I must say, gives this peachy bit of advice:

"I know they eat often but if you plan on holding them at least half of their feedings, they will be brighter, appreciate touch more and not rely on one another as much as they rely on you. Not only that but it lowers your blood pressure and it bonds you. Instead of being exhausting, it becomes a happy place and you begin to not want to put them down."

My initial reaction: 

Eff my life. Did I not freaking hold them enough? Oh my god, no, I didn't. Jesus eff I've ruined them. No wonder they don't want to snuggle and love me all the time. And yet they looooove each other. And they are a little slow, aren't they? I mean not walking until 15 months, even for twins, isn't that late? Would I call them bright? Can I even know that yet? And omg I really was stressed out during feedings a lot, wasn't I? That's it, they felt that and now they hate me because of it. 

If only I had tried harder to hold them and feed them, at least half the time. It's all my fault. 

Thankfully, I'm a Gemini and I am finally learning to let things go so I quickly realized that this "advice" was absurd and obnoxious and actually quite rude. But I had to say something.

First of all, my kids are fine. The OP's kids will be fine. Of course they will be. Because we did the best we could and, for me, that meant my babies were not held for the majority of their feedings. 

Maybe that's a shocker for you, but if you had any idea you probably wouldn't advise me otherwise. Even if you did catch me on a good day, which this post clearly did not. 

First things first, "one up-both up" (wherein you actively wake the other baby to eat when one wakes up) was never actually an option for us. As in, they didn't give us a choice. They wanted to eat at the same time or else.  It took 72 hours for their nice 1/2-hour staggered NICU schedule to wear off and then if one was up and eating the other was too, otherwise she was screaming.  Since I was usually alone and figured out in the first few days that it was awkward and terrifying as hell to criss-cross babies and bottles, I opted for the safer, easier route of pillows 95% of the time.

Also, I pumped. Religiously. Every 2-3 hours for 12 weeks because it was important to me that they have breast milk. And because formula for two is freaking expensive. It was by far easiest for me to pump while they ate on their pillows and just hold them to burp (thank GOD for my hands-free pumping system - it's probably the reason I survived.) Of course there were times when I held them while I pumped but this, as you can imagine, was not an optimal situation for anyone and not one I would actually choose, no matter what the benefit.

Worse yet, when they finally latched, I used my nursing pillow for every daytime feed until they were about a year old. At night I rotated between them in my bed for months until they got down to one feed a night, for which we used the pillow because why the hell not? Boobs out, baby on either side of me, pillow on my lap, usually phone or food in my hand or catching a few zzz's (not really but I would prop pillows on either side of my legs just in case.) It was easier than positioning them on me and trying to keep them latched and I was hands free, something you very rarely are when you're a twin mom.

Sure, there were nights when we would hold them for the bedtime bottle and I would pump after they went to bed. But so many times CJ was cleaning or making dinner or I was grocery shopping or taking a much needed break. Again, it was just easier this way. Boppies, bibs, bottles, and in half an hour it was cuddles and love, and lots of it, I swear. 

The thing is, I know in my heart that even if we didn't try to hold them a few nights a week it wouldn't have mattered. Because we did what worked for our family, depending on the day, hour and even minute. Otherwise we would have lost our minds.

Not to mention, I co-slept for almost 6 months and was up every hour nursing one after the other thanks to a nightmare 4 month sleep regression. And after 4 months of pumping around the clock, I nursed on demand from the days they latched and I continue to breastfeed at 17 months old. I don't think I should feel guilty for whatever I did or didn't do when they were newborns when I was just trying to survive. And I know several hundred (probably even thousand) twin parents who would say the exact same thing. 

So why am I writing this if I don't actually feel guilty? Because I just feel like the last thing we need to be doing is commenting on how other people make it work, especially when we've been there ourselves. 

Even if there is some magical benefit to the act of holding while feeding, does this mom really need to hear about it right  this second? It's a personal choice and not one that is intentionally inflicting harm so it probably doesn't need to be mentioned, am I right?  

Aside from it not working for us, I, and so many other twin parents, made the choice for sanity's sake. Like all the other decisions we made pre-kids that went right out the window when that tech said there's two. I sure as hell never pictured myself not holding my kids when they ate but life had other plans for us. And really, does this commenter honestly think the OP doesn't know it's good to hold a baby when they eat? 

Come on.

I liken it to all those choices we make every day that could-maybe-possibly-at-some-point-in-the-future impact our kids but that has little to no measurable difference at the time. Like formula or breast, shots or none, co-sleeping or cribs or conventional or organic food. If you feel some type of way about it, say it to your friends, don't post it on facebook as a well-meaning bit of advice to another mom, especially one that you know is in the trenches.

This mom who commented, she meant well, I know, or least I hope she did. Or mayyybe she's one of those mythical sanctimommies who so many claim do not exist. Yeah, I'll go there. I don't think she is, really, but I can't help but shake my head and ask what the hell her point even was, if not to "educate" and, no matter how nicely, pass judgement on a completely innocuous and necessary thing.  Babies are being fed, who gives a damn how it's happening? It's not enough we shame people for what they feed but now we're gonna tell them HOW to do it too? Or else their kids won't be as bright? Really?

As a twin mom herself maybe she should have run that comment through her head a few more times and she might have decided it was not in the best taste to tell a bunch of survivalists that their best could be better.

Maybe I'm too sensitive, because it's something I've genuinely wondered about. I know about the benefits of touch and the importance of establishing that connection. I wondered all on my own if I hurt them, long before reading this. Like when it took forever for them to smile or the fact that they still hate snuggling, save for a few 10 second hugs here and there. Did I do that to them? Could I have changed it?

Is it not enough that I kept them, and myself, alive and thriving through one of the most terrifying times of my own life?  Or that I, through 4 months of pumping and 13+ months of nursing,  have constantly sacrificed my own comfort, sleep and sanity, just trying to keep them happy, healthy and secure? 

Nah, I refuse to let her get to me. It is enough. It's more than enough.

As for the notion that feedings would have been less "exhausting" or that I wouldn't want to put them down, I thought she might be on to something at first. I know how much I love nursing for the physical and emotional benefits (for all of us) and I wondered if we really missed out on that in those early months. That is until I remembered the fact that bottle feeding two babies is a pain in the freaking ass, especially when they want to eat and burp and poop at the same time.

And you want to talk exhausting? I know for a fact that it's damn near impossible to actually hold and bottle feed two itsy bitsy rag dolls and feel anywhere near relaxed. My stress level was through the roof worrying about dropping and burping and all that crap. So I guess maybe if you always have a partner around but neither one of you has jobs or ever sleeps then your kids will be awesomer (I'm sorry, I mean "brighter") because you can feed and hold them at the same time? Hmmm... for some reason I doubt that!

The bottom line is we all do what we have to do. Some might say that what ultimately worked for us wasn't the best thing we could have done. The same argument could be made (and is regularly) of my choices to feed them food rather than purees, to keep them rear facing as long as possible or to homeschool them. So instead of letting it get to me I'll just add this one to my long list of other people's opinions that I don't give a crap about.  But I just had to say something. If not to her then to the great abyss of the internet.

Again, I'm likely reading way too far into it but I needed to get it out and, shocker, I haven't written a blog in forever and I feel better now!  

Happy New Year!

Xo,
Maigen

Christmas Time With Toddler Twins!

I am so looking forward to Christmas with two 17 month olds. It's going to be insane and it's obviously so different from how we used to do things, but it's also so much fun!

We went to my Dad's this weekend to help decorate his tree. The girls helped a bit when we did ours at home but I gave them bead necklaces to hang while I completed our "toddler tree". All ornaments of any sentimental value go on the top 3rd, paper and cloth go in the middle and the bottom is bare, since the beads they put up were pulled down in like ten seconds. They had a blast doing it and instead of barricading the tree all the time I let them play with it when they want to. They tend to leave it alone most of the time or just stare at it (except for when I want to take a picture of them in front of it, of course)!



This was not the case at my Dad's. My saint of a niece (who is 4) was having so much fun decorating and the girls got a kick out of following her around taking them all down. J was being so patient and I was trying to help, giving them their own ornaments to hang or look at, but hooks and glass balls and toddlers do not mix very well. Thankfully they got distracted after a bit by the cats and pictures and books and had their own fun exploring and we were able to finish the tree.



One big difference between life before the twins and after is how I decorate. I used to go all out for Halloween and Christmas. Now, Halloween was some paper jack o'lanterns and painted pumpkins and our Christmas decor consists of the toddler tree, some kid-safe decorations they can play with and explore placed at their level and a few figurines smushed together on a table that are out of reach most of the time until I can sit with them and let them explore.

At least I'm OK with the minimalist yet cluttered look at this point. They love playing with the Santa nesting dolls I got from my grandmother and the ancient Styrofoam snow girl that my mother may or may not have knit clothes for 25 years ago (I seriously don't know who made it but we had it in my house growing up and I just can't get rid of her). 



I've also put together some fun Chrstimassy activities for them to enjoy. So far the favorite was the Christmas sensory bin filled with bead necklaces, jingle bells, pom-poms, pine branches and cones, ornaments and Christmas tree shapes.



They also love their Christmas tree discovery bottles (spice bottles filled with pine branches, cones and jingle bells - they can open the top and smell them without getting needles everywhere!) We have a ton of Christmas books that I kept hidden until now, including four copies of The Night Before Christmas - my favorite holiday story (and not just because the author, Clement C. Moore, wrote it in my hometown of Troy, NY).

They can really participate in activities now so we've had fun painting with Christmas colors and they loved the gingerbread play-dough we made last week.

I've started clearing out our playroom in preparation for Christmas and since the girls dropped down to one nap last week (completely without issue or major disruption to anyone's sleep, I have to add) I don't really have a lot of time to get things done without them in tow. I'm using it to my advantage though and having them test toys before deciding if they stay or go. They still love their cups and caps but they are also really into baby dolls, dressing up with hats and scarves and carrying around bags or backpacks. They are loving their stacking blocks and tool box too.

I packed up four boxes of toys that they just don't use and so far they haven't missed them. I'm hoping to clean them up and donate them to a local family on one of my swap groups. Someone did that for me last year when I was looking for toys for the girls (not for Christmas but just to have) but I didn't have much money to spend. She showed up here with the toys and wouldn't take payment for them. In coming years I would love for that to be a part of our holiday tradition so I'm starting it now. We're far from where we'd like to be financially (really, we're technically poor and getting more in debt every day, just keepin' it real) but it is so important to me that they know the true meaning of giving to others, especially at Christmas. If there is one thing about this whole time of year that I want to stick with them it's that we give, to show love and because we want to.

Speaking of of giving, did you send a card to Sa'fyre Terry this year? We did! This precious girl is local to us (only 15 minutes away) and as soon as I heard her story I had to make sure we created some homemade cards for her.  We used a golf ball or fingers to paint over Christmas shapes, I cut them out and we glued them onto cards and wrote messages to her. I used the extra to make the ornaments above. I know with receiving 195,000 cards a day it's likely Sa'fyre won't even see them but I'm so glad we could be part of something so amazing!



As for the girls, I am sticking with my theme for gifts that I did for their birthday and last Christmas only I've added a category this time. For any gift giving holiday they each get a maximum of 4-5 gifts from us - something they need, want, to read, to wear and, new this Christmas, something to do. So far we've budgeted $100 each but it varies based on what we buy, and it's not always all included in presents - their outfits for their birthdays were their "wear" gift, for example.

This year we got them each two pairs of leggings, two of Gerda Muller's Seasons books, a magnet puzzle from Melissa and Doug, a winter coat and a small wooden block set. We've spent just under $60 each as most were on sale and some were bought with gift cards. I am not doing stockings until next year since CJ and I never really did them before and when I was a kid Santa did the stockings anyway!

Speaking of Santa, I'm so thankful I don't have to deal with the headache of figuring him out until at least next year. I had two blogs going all about my feelings on Santa and his elf buddies (and baby Jesus too for that matter) but I haven't even figured out what I want to say or do yet, let alone how it goes over, so I don't feel right writing about it yet. That said, many other people have so check them out if you want an idea of why I am actually having a moral fit over introducing Santa to my kids. Also, CJ thinks I'm a grinch for not going all-in, just so you know.

I did take them to have breakfast with Santa. Aside from them freaking out when we got up to see him and them being called boys not once, not twice, but three times, it went great. I loved that no one had to sat on his lap, they had a chair for the kids to sit in front of him. It was fun and part of the tradition of experiencing what our community has to offer this time of year.

Last weekend we went to the Victorian Stroll in my hometown of Troy, NY, which again is the very place where Clement C. Moore wrote The Night Before Christmas (can you tell I'm proud of that fact?). We stayed for the Christmas tree lighting and heard my high school choir sing (still directed by the amazing Mrs. Mack, one of my favorite teachers ever). It was so awesome having the girls there to see that - I can't wait until next year.

The absolute best part of Christmas this year: I'm happy.

I can vividly recall so so many Christmases (far too many really) that I was miserable, sad and desperate to feel the way I did when I was a kid. Years of being alone during the holidays, always missing someone or not feeling comfortable with my own people took a toll on me and at times I dreaded the holidays. Not anymore. I'm finding it's near impossible to feel lonely, worried or sad when you've got two 16 month olds to keep you laughing.

Their wonder and joy at all the sights, sounds and music of this time of year is enough to keep me happy. They are in love with Pentatonix's Christmas album and we listen to it all day long. Add to that the fact that they are the MOST fun ever right now, the memories we're making and the start of new traditions, I am almost scaring myself with how wonderful I feel. Clearly good enough to never have time to blog, but it was time for an update, so I hope you enjoyed the glimpse into Christmas with the #beaulieutwins.

I hope you and yours have a happy, healthy and joy-filled holiday season!

Xo,
Maigen

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had our first big holiday away from home this week, taking a road trip to Syracuse for Thanksgiving at GG's house. The last time we took any sort of extended drive was back in July and we learned enough then to make sure we were prepared but this time. However, it was so much easier in general, thanks to them being toddlers now (and not nursing for their main source of food). Aside from Viv's fear of the dark that kicked in at 45 minutes from home, it was a totally stress free and fun trip. It's a different ballgame with toddlers versus a baby so here are the things that got us through our road trip and holiday visit this time around:

Entertainment for the car

I know a lot of toys are no-nos for car seat safety so I made sure to pack soft things that will keep the girls entertained. We're trying not to use DVD players or tablets in the backseat until they're old enough to ask for it so some hands-on entertainment on long car rides is a must. I packed them each a taggy stuffed animal or blanket, soft and crinkly books, a sensory ball and some rings and links for them to play with if they woke up on the drive. I'd transition them out from the front seat diaper bag if they got bored. Everything worked great until the last hour of our ride home when we needed...

A cell phone for when those fail

Viv woke up screaming on our way home and despite 20 minutes of singing songs and sitting rather unsafely in my seat trying to touch and calm her I gave in and handed her my phone. Thanks to Dad using this neat little trick during diaper changes, it almost always calms them down. I really don't like doing it (for a number of reasons) and we always say, "This is so bad, we don't want them relying on screens for anything..." but we know now that you'll do just about anything to stop that screaming in the car when you're still 45 minutes from home. I need them to know that my phone is mine so I have zero kids games on it but the game Little Things Forever is awesome for toddler distraction in those much needed situations.

Boppy or other Booster Chairs for eating at the table

When I was a kid my grandmother had one of those restaurant wooden high chairs for the grandkids to sit at and eat. It worked well and we always put it at the head of the kids table in the kitchen, which usually meant that Mom or Dad of the baby had to sit there too. Coming from a huge family I JUST got the chance to sit at the grown-up table a few years ago and I hated the idea of having to go back to the kid's table with the girls. Thankfully CJ's family is smaller and when we were discussing Thanksgiving a few weeks ago I told GG and Jama that I wanted the girls to sit with us - right at the table, on real chairs with their boosters. While we did need an extra table for the first time ever, the girls fit comfortably and we were able to enjoy our meal together without babies on our laps or being segregated to another room! Big win! We'll see how it goes next year with my side of the family!

Fun stuff to keep them entertained in a new (not babyproofed) place

A lot of the things they enjoy these days are not so easy to transport: boxes, musical instruments, push and pull toys and their climber. I needed things that would keep them occupied and wouldn't bore them. I packed a big bag with two stuffed animals, our thanksgiving books, plastic balls, our caps and homemade drop-in containers, peg dolls and wooden bowls. I packed their backpacks with tool-kit bolts, foam blocks and a few "home" items, such as keys, our toy phone and binoculars and scarves. I made sure to pick things they weren't playing with a ton at home for the novelty aspect which helped get me some more adult conversation time in. I would only introduce a toy if they were needing a distraction/redirection or if they were melting down and needed to reconnect and feel secure. Although they entertained themselves just fine with GG's little rocking chair and a few stairs to climb on!

Baby Led Weaning

I have no idea what they would be doing if we had done baby food but I swear, they did so great at the table for dinner, I myself was impressed with them. I got to enjoy a full meal, lots of adult conversation and dessert without any sort if issue with my 16 month old twins. They sat right next to us, laughing and playing and, best of all, eating what we were eating, with no problem. I admit I was terrified going into it as I didn't want either one of them to end up on my lap but I also didn't bring any other snacks or food for them so I was hoping they wouldn't be too freaked out or bored with the food. They did awesome! I loved not having to have a separate meal for them either - they ate the turkey, corn, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, squash and fresh vegs from the salad!  Again, I really don't know for sure if not doing BLW would have made a huge difference at this point but I can't help but feel like it
 contributed to how well it went!

All in all it was such a great day. We also celebrated Daddy's Birthday (tomorrow he turns the big 3-0)! Although we are seeing a bit of anxiety when we get to new places and in large groups, they warm up quickly and love having the freedom to explore.

We followed it up with a fantastic family filled weekend of trips to Great Nana's and Papa T's houses and a visit from our friends Josh, Maddi and Chris and baby Dominick.




We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Xo,
Maigen

October Activity Roundup for Preschoolers and Toddlers

Last month was amazing and so much fun. We had such beautiful weather and there was so much to see and do with the three little ones. I don't think I've enjoyed my favorite season this much in years.!

We really soaked up the changing leaves and the weather cooling down (although we also enjoyed the 70* weather in the first week of November). Having a big kid here to do all my favorite activities with has added so much to the fun. Between Halloween, pumpkins and leaves we were super busy playing, learning and creating.

Here are some of our favorite things to do in October!

Nature Walks and Collecting Treasures

Nature walks are awesome in any season but the fall in Upstate NY makes it extra special.  We are lucky to live near a park and in a neighborhood that are filled with tons of different trees. I love taking pictures of the colors and talking with the kids about the how and why of the change. This is prime nature collection time too with the branches, leaves, acorns and pine cones falling all over the place.  There's so much to see and do that you don't even need a ball or a playground to have fun outside in the fall.

 

Nature Collection Exploration Box

After we have a decent stockpile of nature items I put them into bins or boxes to explore. We had a look at tons of acorns, pine cones, leaves, sticks, rocks and pumpkins through out the season.

Preschooler: We talk about colors, shapes, sizes and textures. I added tongs and buckets for some transferring practice. Later we added beans and rice for a more sensory-ish bin as well as some foam letters and shapes for R to find and match.

Toddler: We explored the real stuff a few times then I swapped it for some fake leaves and added random objects for them to find including small pumpkins, letter blocks and animals.

 

Leaf Creations

Not only were the colors incredible this year but we had an overabundance of leaves - I think I collected well over 500 over the month!  Aside from using them in our sensory bins and just playing with them we had fun creating with them too:

Rubbings and Prints: 

We made leaf rubbings with crayons and leaf prints by painting the bumpy side of the leaf and pressing it on to paper.


Leaf Changing Book: 

We started this one the first week of Fall back in September. I found a great book that explains why the leaves change and wanted to document the change as best as we could. We started collecting them while they were still green from the backyard and the park. Each week we would try to find leaves of the same shape and size and note if they had changed yet. We displayed them to watch the progression and at the end of week 4 I wrapped them in contact paper and stapled them together to finish our book.

 

Dye Coffee Filters with Fall Colors

Preschool: We used fall colors to dye coffee filters. We started using just red and yellow and watching them mix into orange, then added orange to brighten it up a bit. We experimented with mixing colors and I gave R a dropper to try too. I traced leaves onto a few and cut them out to make a falling leaf decoration.

Toddler: I didn't get pictures of it for some reason but I froze the dyed water into ice cube trays and had the girls slide them around in bins on paper. They were more interested in touching and tasting them but they made some cool designs too! We also took some of the coffee filters and balled them up to toss around. They liked pulling them back apart too.

 

Fall Scented Play Dough

We used The Imagination Tree's awesome play dough recipe because it is easy to make and the play dough is super soft and lasts forever! We added some pumpkin spice and green or orange food coloring. We will use it all season in different ways.

Preschool: I added some of our nature collection items and other odds and ends to explore. We made monsters and cut out leaf prints with dull plastic knives. Closer to Halloween I printed monster play dough mats and added lots of odds and ends to make monsters.

Toddler: The girls wanted little to do with the play dough and were more interested in the leaves and plastic bags. I did get them to roll it a little in their hands before they started eating it!

Painting With Fall Colors

Preschool: We talk about how and why the leaves are changing colors as the season changes and what colors we start to see as the world turns from green to orange, yellow, red and brown. We used a ball of foil for a cool fall tree effect and did a lot of free paint with these colors throughout the month.

Toddler: I gave them a small amount of red, orange, yellow and white paint in a few cups and some brushes with paper. It took them all of 2 seconds to move on to painting the mirror. I let them have at it and it added a whole new fun dimension to their play.

Cutting and Pasting Jack o'Lanterns

Preschooler: We used our coffee filters from before and some orange paper to practice cutting. R (who is a rock star at using scissors) free cut and followed lines I drew while I cut out some shapes with black paper. We talked about the shapes while he glued them on to the coffee filters to make Jack o'Lanterns and whatever else he could come up with!

Toddler: I gathered up the scraps from R's cutting and the extra jack o'lantern shapes and put them in a box for the girls to sift through. I gave them white paper that I had painted glue onto and showed them how to stick the scraps on and they made their own fall color creations. They loved sticking and unsticking them. 

Measuring and Weighing Pumpkins

Preschooler: We've been singing the song Five Little Pumpkins all season so I tied that into this activity. I bought pumpkins here and there over the season and ended up with a bunch of different sizes. I traced them in order by size on a few pieces of paper and taped it to the floor near the pile of pumpkins for R to find.  He came right over and started trying to figure out how to match them up. We sang the song and talked about size and cardinal and ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd). We got out my bathroom and kitchen scales and a tape measure and talked about height and weight before it turned into rolling the pumpkins all around the room!

Toddler: The girls ripped our paper as soon as they woke up so R organized the pumpkins by size for them and we sang Five Little Pumpkins. Then they all started stacking them and R showed them how to roll them around.

Ghostly Footprints

As much as I love open ended art I also love creating seasonal keepsakes, especially using hand and footprints. This is one of my favorites. Just paint the kids' feet white and press it on to black paper. When it dries glue on some googly eyes and draw on a spooky mouth. So cute!

Painting Pumpkins

 

Preschooler: I wasn't going to attempt to carve a jack o'lantern with three kids running around so I looked up No-Carve pumpkin ideas and we decided to paint them. R and I looked at some pictures online to get ideas and created some beautiful works of art with tempera paint, paintbrushes and glitter. I clearly had fun with the glitter (the middle one is my sparkly rest time creation)!

Toddler: The girls loved this activity. For them I used washable paint in just a couple colors so it wouldn't turn into a brown mess. I used tape to put their letters on them to make a tape resist initial after the paint dried. Most of their paint came from them picking the pumpkins up then rolling them in it or mushing it all over with their hands. 

Making Masks

I love making masks for Halloween. Usually we look at some spooky stuff in books to get an idea of what they want. I offer half a paper plate and whatever color paint they want while I cut out the details. R wanted to be a monster so I cut hair and bolts and hunted down a good piece of string or shoe lace to tie the mask together. I poked a hole on each side and added shoelaces that tied in the back for the perfect fit. I meant to but never got around to making masks for the girls :( Next year!

Ghost Pancakes and other Halloweeny Food:

 

One of my favorite parts of Halloween is themed food. I thought of the pancakes that morning and instead of our usual blueberry pancakes I just put the pancake batter in a squeeze bottle and added blueberries or chocolate chips for eyes and a mouth.

The best part is that it's all about what you call the food so it's easy to turn an ordinary lunch into a spooky one. For lunch we had snake's eyeballs or boogers as R came up with (peas), brains on bread (english muffin pizza) and witch's toenails (quartered grapes)!

 

Going On a Witch Hunt

 

One of my favorite Halloween activities that I do every year! To us adults it sounds a little strange but only because we know about the real witch hunts. To a 3 year old it just sounds like a seasonal version of Going on a Bear Hunt. You use the traditional pattern of Going on a Bear Hunt (whatever you use, I've learned several over the years) and just change it to spooky stuff. Since it's Halloween you have to act it out too - lots of running, jumping and ducking!

We had to climb a tree filled with spiders and their webs, run through a cave filled with bats and a tunnel filled with ghosts before we got to the witch's house. We spied her big black hat, crooked nose and fingers and green, glowing eyes before we turned around and ran home. Every kid I've ever known loves this. You can sub anything you want too - ghost, zombie, vampire, monster hunt, whatever!

It's even better since I've been a Witch every year for Halloween forever. Don't you love my hat?

Our Favorite Songs:

 

Five Little Pumpkins  (Link includes a cute little printable!)

Five little pumpkins, sitting on a gate
The first one says "Oh my, it's getting late!"
The second one says, "There are witches in the air!"
The third one says, "But we don't care!"
The fourth one says, "Let's run and run and run!"
The fifth one says, "It's time for some fun!"
Then "Wooooooo" went the wind and OUT! went the light
And they all rolled away on Halloween night

Grey Squirrel

Grey squirrel, grey squirrel, shake your bushy tail
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel, shake your bushy tail
Wrinkle up your little nose, crack a nut between your toes
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel, shake your bushy tail!

I'm a Nut

I'm a little acorn round, lying on the cold cold ground
Everybody steps on me, that is why I'm cracked you see
I'm a nut *click click*
I'm a nut *click click*
I'm a nut *click click*
and you're craaazy.

Our Favorite Books: 

(affiliate links!)

The Hallo-weiner
Llama Llama Trick or Treat
The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree
Cheerio's Halloween Book

We had so much fun this month and I'm happy to start a new series of full of our favorite monthly play, create and learn ideas!

Xo,
Maigen