Are You Two Brothers?

Today, while at our neighborhood indoor farmer's market, I realized something. Each time we go anywhere the boys get asked if they are twins. Or, many times people will ask me  while the boys are standing next to me. Literally, just about every time we leave the house someone will ask the question. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind at all. When they were babies I got very used to getting stopped by people. As a new mom {who had waited a long time for them}I was thrilled to share our excitement.

Today was no different. First, as we were walking down the aisle a man yelled loudly "Oh, double trouble". I yelled backed "Double the love" and he gave me a big smile and laughed. Afterward, Sam said "I think that man just insulted us." Ross told him not to worry that the man was just trying to be funny.

Then, as we were checking out, the young cashier asked in awe if they were identical twins. We chatted, and she was really cute about the whole thing. She wanted to know how I could tell them apart {especially when they were babies}.

Finally, as we were walking to our car a gal walking in to the maket shouted....she shouted... across the parking lot.... "Am I seeing double? Are they twins? Identical?".

But, the question the boys get all the time....."Are you two brothers?". It's meant to be funny, though the boys always wonder why they are asked this all the time. I'm telling you all.the.time.

So, it really hit me today how strange it must be for them. From the twin point of view. They don't think about the fact that they look alike, but everywhere they go they either get questioned {which is fine!} or stared at {which can be strange}.

 

Love having twins. Love that they have each other. Truly, double the love.

I watch tv, and other shocking things....

Yep, we have a tv. Actually, we have 3 tv's. We also have cable. Do we sit in front of the tv all day and night....no. Do we let the boys watch crime/adult stories and other harsh/scary/or inappropriate shows....not at all. We DO use our own personal discretion and opinions with viewing choices, and have created our own personal balance with all electronic devices.

The boys occasionally watch what some people may call "mindless television", but actually it's not that mindless. They always chat through anything they are watching....they discuss the plot, point out poor grammar, analyze the character's actions, I could go on and on. What they have also learned to do {and what we are thrilled about} is to recognize inappropriate shows/characters. We've tried to teach them along the way about what to look out for in bad tv. Actually, the boys told ME to turn off Dancing With the Stars because they thought the costumes were inappropriate....which led to a great discussion.

Greg works very hard, and most often he is in NYC dealing with chaos during the day. Yesterday, he was on Rikers Island....today he is at Laguardia airport. Stress, I tell ya. At the end of the day, he loves to chill with us, walk to the playground, or just.....lay on the couch watching the news {or a movie-usually, Iron Man}.

Me.....I rarely watch tv during the day. Today, I watched part of Little Bear in the am, but that was unusual. Oh, and I did flip to Good Morning America. Anyway.....you may not approve, but I love laying in bed at night with the clicker in my hand. Love it. It may be Food Network, HGTV, or Bravo {yes, Bravo}. By the end of the day I am drained. I usually can't fall right to sleep, and I'm too tired to read.....tv is just relaxing to me.

I guess I'm sharing this because I've read a few blog posts lately where people were talking about how bad tv is. Yes, it can be, but it doesn't have to be. And frankly, I think it gets a really bad rap. With anything, it's how you use it. There are some wonderful shows on tv....we love Food Netwok in our house. It's inspired the boys to create their own recipes, and for all of us to find local fun restaurants. I think ultimately the choice is obviously up to each person. I don't have a problem if you don't have any tv's, but please don't consider me awful because I have 3.

In my opinion, the internet can be bad, if not worse than tv. Though, there are some great computer games online. But that's a whole 'nother subject. So, I hope you have not formed this new horrible opinion of me because of our viewing habits. If you saw my unfolded laundry piles, or knew that I recently avoided grocery shopping for days {and fed my family baked beans and cereal}....well, then I'd understand.

*BTW-these are just thoughts I wanted to share. No intense motive or plan in mind....just random thoughts :)  And I reserve the right to change those thoughts at any time. ha!

{maplewood}stock

 A couple of weekends ago we went to watch our former drum teacher, David, {we've stopped lessons for now} perform at a music festival. The heat was almost unbearable. Just sitting still we dripped with sweat {gross, I know}.

 The boys loved seeing their teacher onstage. He's a professional musician, and has recently formed a new band {The House of Essex}. They were so fun, and the music was really good. Greg said "this is one of the reasons I love living here". All we had to do was drive 5 minutes to this bohemian little town , and we were sitting at a free endless music fest.

Dave and the boys doing their "serious pose" after his performance.

One Hot Day

 This was the first July 4th where we stayed in NJ. Usually, we go back home to our annual family party. The fun thing about NJ on July 4th....an endless amount of festivals and parades to attend. We were supposed to go into NYC to see one of Greg's high school friends, but a storm warning kept us in NJ. Instead, we chose a small festival in the next town over.

 I have to admit, I cringe when I hear the ice cream truck bell. My mouth said "yes", but inside I was saying "noooo!" to the ice cold food coloring cone.

 While the boys were on the spinning red wheel we met the nicest lady. She was an identical twin {her extended family has 14 sets of twins!} and gave us much encouragement and insight into the twin bond. I love how little chats like that happen just when I need them.

 This tea cup ride brought back nauseous memories of my childhood at Roseland Park. In fact, see that empty car behind the boys? During an earlier ride, a little guy lost his cookies in it. Gag.

 The boys reluctantly watched the Polka Dot Band perform. I think they liked it, but thought they were a bit too old to be watching a kiddie band. Made me miss our 'ol Wiggles days.

 The boys had a great time participating in the Wild 'n Wacky challenge. Sort of like those games shows where you get a pie thrown in your face, or get slimed.

                                  Very fun end to a very hot afternoon.

Quiet Days

 Sam has been anxious to try out the $2 garage sale unicycle we found. We geared him up with all the protection we could find. Our awesome neighbor brought her crutches over for support. He didn't get that red unicycle to ride, but he's not giving up. Don't pay any attention to the mess in the garage. Most of it is actually empty plastic bins, with a bunch of random clutter thrown in. My neighbor's garage is empty. Empty. That's my goal for our next move {except for all the outdoor fun stuff}.

 There have been lots of fireflies this summer. The boys were impressed with their mom's quick firefly catching skill....caught it with one single handed grab. We put it in the bottle for a closer look, and then set it free. Not sure the ff was too happy about the whole experience.

                                     It's rugby season! The boys are loving it.

 Did I ever share that we made our first trip to Sonic? Loved the roller skating servers. The french fries were a bit soggy, but the experience was fun.