Friday's Five: Twinmama

Welcome to Friday's Five, my weekly feature in which I ask a fabulous blogger five questions.

Today, I'm visiting with Twinmama from Bringing Up Twins. I was first drawn to her blog because she has twin daughters who are a little younger than mine, but I've become a faithful follower due to the quality of her writing. With the new year, she's started a weekly lifestyle challenge that encourages her readers to drop bad habits and establish healthy routines. She's thoughtful and inspirational, and I enjoy reading her perspective on life and motherhood. 

1. What are your children's ages, and do they have any favorite outfits or articles of clothing that they love to wear?

I have twin girls—Peanut and Jelly Bean—and they turned two years old on February 18th. Where has the time gone?

They are truly little girls—both of my daughters love shoes, hats, and purses. I definitely didn't teach them about accessorizing, but they have learned to embrace the fact that shoes, purses, and hats make or break an outfit. You have to respect that, you know?

They also appreciate any article of clothing that has something on it they recognize like a butterfly, Dora the Explorer, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, hearts, snowflakes, penguins, etc.

2. What are your thoughts on dressing twins alike?

I have dressed my girls alike twice and both of those times were for professional pictures. I think it makes a nice picture when everyone matches at least in color.

With that said, I don't dress my girls alike regularly. I personally don't have a problem with anyone doing it, but I also think that it is important for each child to be seen as an individual. All too often I have noticed people will lump them together when they talk about them. Meaning, instead of saying, "Look at Peanut reading that book" (while Jelly Bean is playing with a ball), someone will say, "Oh, look, they are reading." Dressing them alike just seems to water down their personal identity and gives outsiders yet another reason to think you had a two-headed kid instead of two special kids.

3. It's clear to me that you take your writing seriously, and I'm curious about how your creative process works. Where do your ideas come from and how do you develop them?

This is an interesting question because I have been thinking a lot lately about my writing style. My process usually begins with me thinking about what significant things happened over the past few days and whether there is some sort of lesson, helpful information, or entertainment factor that I can focus a blog post around. I think about two things when I am deciding on what to write about: what my audience would find beneficial and what would my girls like to read about one day when they see this blog. Both are very important to me.

Next, I spend time writing it out in my head. Since I spend most of my time washing dishes, changing diapers, and folding laundry, I usually use these moments to consider what is the most important points and the overall message for my post. I like to have the first and last sentences nailed down before I start writing.

I like to consider that I have different types of posts—narrative: my descriptive posts that usually teach a lesson, entertaining: usually consists of my lists, conversations, or rants, or informational: posts about other sites, Twinmama's Lifestyle Challenge posts, products, and administrative-type stuff.

I have learned that when I write a post, more posts will usually follow more easily. It is literally like tapping into a spring of water—once those first drops come, the flow of inspiration just comes. But also like running, once I stop writing for awhile, I almost always have to start all over again because I have lost my momentum.

4. You've mentioned on your blog that you have purchased your own domain and will be launching a new site. Can you give us a little glimpse into your future plans for BringingUpTwins.com?

My future site is still very important to me and I hope to have it up and running sooner than later. My webmaster and tech support, (twindada), was laid off from his job in January and has been focusing his time on starting his own business, so my project was sidelined. However, I can tell you a few of my plans for the site.

The appearance of my site will look completely different. I am going for a professional site (not pink!) and I do want to have more pictures. My blog posts will still be the focus of my work, but I also want to write some articles for twin parents about various topics so they have access to information that I wish that I would have had when I was expecting and just getting started. Lastly, I would like to create a forum for twin parents to come and share their stories, advice, and post questions for other parents.

5. What did you have for dinner last night?

Homemade fried chicken strips, cheesy penne pasta, and green beans.

Thank you, Twinmama! My girls are crazy about purses right now, too. They think they're hot stuff opening their little handbags and taking out their chapstick. Regarding writing, I had never thought about sitting down with my first and last sentence already in mind—what a great tip. And I wish you all the best as you move forward with the web site! 

Join me again next week when I snatch someone out of the blogosphere and sit 'em down for a session of Friday's Five.

Friday's Five: Michele (The Stefo Crew)

Friday's Five: Geri (saddlepotatoes)

Friday's Five: Lana (The Kids Did What?!)

Friday's Five: Lisa (Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy)

Friday's Five: Helene (I'm Living Proof that God has a Sense of Humor)