moms with twins how do u stay organized

Jocelyn - posted on 01/02/2010

I don't.

Ginger - posted on 01/02/2010

I try not to obsess. Picked up and put away if not organized. I do as much as I can when the kids nap. Inevitably some of the bills get overlooked and the toddler toys and big kid toys get mixed up sometimes, but hey...everyone is happy and healthy and that is really what matters :)

Misty - posted on 12/31/2009

I have 5 children with my last pregnancy being the twins. I have a 10,8 , 2.5 and 4 month old twins. The older boys play sports and one of my twins has medical problems that require quite a few DR visits. I have a calender(one from Staples desk calender)everybody has there own color. My husband is in the military and is always going on trainings so he even has a color,,,lol. I get up every morning at 530 and a load of laundry goes in. Every Saturday with the older boys' help all bedding gets washed and the curtains come down get washed and go back up. My oldest has asthma with major allergies so this is a must!!! We have a schedule as far as meal times wake up times bedtime scheules. We never deviate from the routine of the that

Robin - posted on 12/31/2009

My twins are 6 yr old girls, and a son that is 9. From the start we had a daily routine that changes just slightly with age. My son was part of the routine with the twin babies and all their needs. Routines and consistency work best for us, and just know that NO routine is perfect and adjustments here and there are not to be cosidered failure.

Kathy - posted on 12/31/2009

It is hard and it takes alot of planning to stay organized. My twins are much younger (less than 2 years) and I also have a three year old. I plan meals at the beginning of each week and try to make sure I prepare them ahead of time in the evening or morning before I go to work. I also have a hanging organizer in my closet with six spaces where I put all of their clothes for the week on Sunday night (I also plan what I will wear to work each day on Sunday night). I bath them every other night and try to keep the same bedtime routine every night...but every day is different so its hard to stay organized all the time...if I get off the routine, I enjoy the change and just start again the next day.

Renee - posted on 12/31/2009

I have 9 yr.old boys and for the most part we keep the same schedule for meals (always together) and the usual stuff. But when it comes to everything else we wing it most of the time. Dr. appts are on a calendar in the kitchen baseball games on the fridge etc.. but you can't have the rigorous schedule with twins every day is different.Especially around nap time @ their age. If you do little things like wipe up a counter real quick or putting something on the stairs to bring up the next time you go up you are ahead of the game.There is always nap and bedtime to do the big stuff. As you go along you will see people are always in awe when they see parents of twins/ multiples but when it's all you know it becomes second nature. Mostly enjoy every minute and don't sweat the small stuff.

Tammy - posted on 12/31/2009

Dear Dana,
I have nine children, my last two are my twins. Several resources that have helped me over the years are: Emily Barnes' book, More Hours in My Day (and her seminar); the fly lady website (www.flylady.net), which is excellent for setting up routines; the scheduling system called Managers of Their Homes (from www.titus2.com); Confessions of a Happily Organized Family, by Deniece Schofield. I hope these resources are a help to you.

Tracey - posted on 12/30/2009

I have twins of nearly 7 yrs 1 boy and 1 girl i also have a little girl of 4. It is hard. I have a calendar for me and my husband and one just for the kids. Housework gets done a bit when the kids r all in bed or i get up early to get it done while everyone is still asleep. It is hard but worth every minute.

Rebecca - posted on 12/30/2009

Its hard to be organised with kids , but i know the more u organise things the more organised u get. Sometimes if im having a hard day unorganised, stressed it just seems to get worse. I find when im like this i just take small steps, do one thing at a time and set small tasks at the beginning - thinking about everyhting that needs to be done dosnt help so i just take one thing at a time. I had my twin boys first so i had to be organised and in a routine with them from day one so when my third child came along i was use to being in a routine and kept the routine going. I try to get rid of toys straight away when they grow out of them and also clothes and keep the house less cluttered with unesseary stuff - I find if the house is less cluttered i feel more organised. Each child has ttheir own scrap boook for art work and i try to keep toys organised in their own containers and i find the kids more settled and play nicer when their rooms are organised and tidy. but after saying all this we do have out hectic chaotic days too - I these days come with having kids , but organising the physical environment first does help when orgainising everything else. Good luck and have fun with ur twins :)

Lana - posted on 12/29/2009

My twins are only two but the way I keep organized I make sure all appointmets are on a dry erase calendar, i have closets full of small to large totes that hold everything from extra soap to kitchen cleaner, I set a schedule for everything we do with open free time for the family as well. I hope this helps

Corina - posted on 12/29/2009

If your boys are 6, they can help clean up, and organize and treat Mom with respect and love. I had 3 girls first before my twins. I was terrible at organizing and of course was married to an organizing wiz who spent plenty of time telling me how I did things wrong until finally we figured out he could help me learn how to do it right( after 16 years;).

The girls were collectors of junk, and their rooms overflowed.Cleaning up rooms were tear jerkers. We moved out of the big house into a smaller one partly so we couldn't have so much crap, and the kids learned that having a neat house was nice. Clothes were a big problem- having the choice of a charter school with a dress code in our small town simplified that. When I realized I was washing 30 some towels a week everyone got two towels only all week. My 13 yr old does the laundry for her cell phone rights, my 11 yr old does most dishes and kitchen for hers. Everyone- including me- has to really clean their bedroom at least once a week and tidy up, make bed, dirty clothes etc daily. Remind them to put their toys up when they aren't playing with them or they lose 'em for a while. Their dishes and snack trash need to be picked up by them, not you.They can put their own dirty dishes in the sink and rinse them or dishwasher. Do homework after school, right after snack, before they get to play video games. Let them vacuum or sweep and mop. Give 'em clorox wipes to do door knobs. Boys make a mess of the bathroom! Teach them to clean it.

The biggest thing that makes it easier is to minimize, then hound the kids(nicely;) to pitch in. It took a consistent 6 months to train me and the kids. Now I am enjoying it! We look forward to having clean dishes in the morning and not working all weekend to clean the mess we made during the week.

Heather - posted on 12/28/2009

I got a really great post it calendar from target. It is a week at a time, no dates. I don't fill in the date or change the page. I have a line for each kid, I wrote their scedual on it, Monday gym, tuesday library, etc. If they have something special that week I take one of the post it notes that came with the calendar and I write what the special is on the post it and stick it on that day. It has worked wonders and made my life so much easier. My husband knows what everyone is doing, there is even a line for us, so i can write down my cleaning schedual, it is right there so I don't forget what I have to get done.

Michelle - posted on 12/25/2009

Organised what is that? I have 3 children. One being 11 and the other being 3 year old identical girls. Most days I fly by the seat of my pants. But I usually make sure that if I know that I am going out the next day, I try to get ready the night before. I try and do just a couple of things at a time. If I do too many things at once, I get overwhelmed and don't do anything. It is a matter of routine and getting as many family members to do their part. Sure saves you doing everything! I know that is one of my new year's resolutions to stop procrastinating and get on with things I am supposed to be doing. Because having a good level of being organised without being super stuffy and anal (lived with a man like that, it was horrid as we were total opposites), keeps your sanity. And of course it teaches your children to try their best at being tidy and organised.

Heather - posted on 12/23/2009

It depends on what you are trying to organize. I have a planner that I use, and lots of calendars posted around the house.

As far as toys and such I go through bedrooms once every other month and sort things out. Otherwise, the kids are in charge of it... (my kids are 7, 5 and the twins are 2). We have rubber maid containers that fit under the bed, or in the closet that they store stuff in. We keep very few toys in the living room. We have one shelf that they are kept on, and when it gets full they carry them back up to their rooms. There are always some toys, but most are in their rooms and only come down when they are playing with them.

As far as cleaning goes, I divided my week up and get all of the house work done on certain days. I have it written up to get it done in 4 days, with one day as a catch up day, and then on my husbands days off I don't have any delusions of getting anything done. It doesn't always get done, but I have found that doing certain things daily or weekly makes it not so bad when you miss a day. :)

I also have two filing cabinets that I keep paperwork in. And boxes for each of my children's school projects or crafts that come home.

Teresa - posted on 12/23/2009

Oraganized? What's that?

I'm a single mom w/ 8 year old twin girls and a 21 month old son. Life is a MESS!!! The only way I can keep track of anything is to write it down... and hope I don't lose whatever I wrote it on. ;)

Denise - posted on 12/23/2009

I have used the same routine with my twins since they were born, it has almost become second nature. If you fall off your schedule, just pick back up and know your not the only one feeling the frustration. My twins are almost 5 and with all the activities they are both in, my college, and working full time I feel like I am drowning, but I always look for the light at the end of the tunnel.

Chris - posted on 12/23/2009

I used a schedule to try and keep up with everything, but it's hard. there are two of them instead of one. Also, try and keep things put away and organized, if you can. I was overwhelmed at first with soooo much for two!!! Try to get things done when they're sleeping if you can or just when they're happy in their swings or bouncers or whatever. You are not SUPERWOMAN...maybe, so don't start to feel bad if things slide a little. I had my husband and friends that helped, too. If you get a little crazy, have some friends over to play with the babies while you do a few things. You'll be amazed that it really doesn't take a lot if you've got just that little bit more free time to do it. GOOD LUCK!!!!

Diana - posted on 12/22/2009

Routine & consistency is how I had to handle it. Bedtimes, meals, baths and things of sort, same time for the most part. Though the twins will cry at first, just remember crying is good for their lungs, and being most twins are born premies their lungs could use all the help. After a little while, they learn to realize that your on a consistency way, and they will give in, and go with the flow. Even at age 6 in Kinder, my twins continued with their 12oclock naps, it was quite funny.

April - posted on 12/22/2009

i got two Itzbeen timers. I had one blue and one green. I lived off those till I got it on my own! http://www.target.com/Itzbeen-Baby-Care-...
I loved them and recommend them to EVERYONE!

Catherine - posted on 12/22/2009

it a skill - organization- its learned. Just make an effort everyday to stay organized and you will train yourself.

Michelle - posted on 12/22/2009

I have 6 yr old twin boys plus two more boys. What I have done is for the toys I got some Ikea storage like trofast, Ikea. I also have a drawer that holds the boy's dishes and silverware that they can reach and an area that holds their snacks. I put their loose snacks in containers so they don't try opening bags and making messes. There are probably other things that I do to organize, but I hope you get the idea. Hope this helps.