{"id":1460,"date":"2011-06-12T22:25:24","date_gmt":"2011-06-13T05:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.streamdoubletrouble.com\/?p=1460"},"modified":"2011-06-14T08:15:24","modified_gmt":"2011-06-14T15:15:24","slug":"ducks-in-a-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/ducks-in-a-row\/","title":{"rendered":"Ducks in a Row"},"content":{"rendered":"

Make Way for Ducklings is classic Caldecott Medal winning children\u2019s book. It illustrates the story of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard Duck dealing with the daily stresses of life as they attempt to navigate the best path for their fledging family.<\/span><\/p>\n

No wonder it\u2019s still so popular.<\/p>\n

The most popular comment I get these days is, \u201cTwins! I don\u2019t know how you do it.\u201d (I specify, \u201ccomment,\u201d because the most popular question remains, \u201cAre they twins?\u201d)<\/p>\n

Well, a typical weekday\u2026<\/p>\n

Wake up, 90 miles an hour
\nTake the world’s fastest shower
\nCoffee black, microwave it
\nI’m at at my best caffeinated
\nOut the door, pick up the pace
\nI’m here, I’m there, I’m everyplace
\n– Frantic, Jamie O\u2019Neal<\/em><\/p>\n

My alarm will go off at 6 a.m., I\u2019ll roll over in a confused stupor, see the boys are sleeping soundly, and smack the snooze button. At 6:30, the dogs will go ballistic \u2013 rushing down the stairs as quiet as a herd of stampeding elephants as though they are a starving pair of neglected strays. Jon will pour the milk (8 oz.) and heat it in the microwave (1 min.), while I change diapers on two little men intent on perfecting an Olympic caliber tumbling routine. They\u2019ll start to scream before they get their bottle. I\u2019ll rush into the bathroom to shower and get ready for work. Jon will put them back down in the hopes that they\u2019ll nap for another hour. They won\u2019t \u2013 but they\u2019ll chatter and squirm; we\u2019ll hold our breath that no banshee wailing is forthcoming. Jon will collapse atop the covers. I\u2019ll dart out the door, run back in to grab my computer, dash back out, debate whether or not I have enough gas to get to work, decide I probably do, spend the first half of the drive frenetically checking the clock to see if I can swing by Starbucks, decide I can\u2019t, pull into work, dump my bags and head straight for the coffee machine (which is likely still filled with Friday\u2019s remnants). At 8, it\u2019s time to get up for the day. Daddy Day Care kicks off in the living room. The muppets will pick up toys, then make a grab for the one their brother has. (It\u2019s the same toy.) They\u2019ll scream. They\u2019ll get distracted by the turtle tank \u2013 crawling up onto the hardwood floor, scampering over the rug to pull themselves up on chairs, which guard the ever-alluring electrical wires \u2013 deciding to push the chairs into the tank. They\u2019ll be told \u201cNo\u201d and moved back to their toys. Repeat. Repeat again. Breakfast at 9. More playtime until 11:30, interspersed with severely stinky diaper changes approximately every 20 minutes. Lunch is big boy food: carrots, eggs, yogurt, and assorted fruits that Mommy hasn\u2019t overcooked or burned herself on. Lunch is followed by a tantrum for milk in a bottle. Milk is offered in a sippy cup, which is pushed away and hurled across the room. Naptime (with or without the consumption of the previously proffered milk) is from noon to 3. (Nothing can be scheduled during this sacred time of quiet.) After nap is a snack at 3:30. I continue to run from meeting to meeting, trying to get my ever-expanding, never-diminishing inbox somewhat under control so I can break for home at 4:30; it won\u2019t happen, I\u2019ll leave the office at 5. The boys will grin when they hear my heels clatter across the kitchen floor. Search will desperately try to eat whatever jewelry I have on. I run upstairs to change into comfy (extremely unsexy) sweats \u2013 all the better to play in. Dinner is at 6. Pasta will fly across the room as Destroy waves \u201cAll Done!\u201d Cooper and Scout will tremble from under the kitchen table, waiting to be given the signal to clean up the mess left behind by their new best friends. Bath time is at 7. I\u2019ll gather towels and new outfits, don my wetsuit and snorkel gear and fill the tub. There is much splashing. Evening milk still comes in a bottle (the muppets clearly won that battle). We\u2019ll change them and snuggle, as they happily grow groggy in our arms. By 7:30 it\u2019s time to zip them into the sleep sacks (wearable blankets), turn on their Twilight Turtle nightlight and hit play on the iPod Classical playlist. Once the babes are down, the grownups will wolf down some form of sustenance \u2013 the menu decided upon by an eloquent debate of, \u201cWhat do you want for dinner? I don\u2019t care, what are you in the mood for.\u201d Repeat. I\u2019ll jump on the treadmill (or at least seriously think about it). We\u2019ll collapse on the couch for some quality (read \u2013 sitcom or History channel far) television. By 9:30 it\u2019s time to get ready for bed. Pass out, and get ready to do it all again tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Piece of cake. (Really, the schedule is key.)<\/p>\n

What\u2019s it like having twins? I have no idea. What\u2019s it like not having twins? They\u2019re all I know. But, then again, in the words of a wise friend \u2013 I can\u2019t even remember this morning\u2026<\/p>\n

That’s how it goes
\nA day in my life
\nI’m on my toes
\nFrom morning to night
\nLiving’ like this
\nSome might say it’s
\nSo exhausting’ frenzied, manic
\nCall me nuts but I like it frantic
\n– Frantic, Jamie O\u2019Neal (my theme song)<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Make Way for Ducklings is classic Caldecott Medal winning children\u2019s book. It illustrates the story of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard Duck dealing with the daily stresses of life as they attempt to navigate the best path for their fledging family. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[9,20,36],"tags":[334,333],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3Sbzi-ny","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":187,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/blue-clues\/","url_meta":{"origin":1460,"position":0},"title":"Blue Clues","date":"May 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"By popular demand, below are the clues to deciphering the long awaited, much anticipated and oft debated naming of the twins. Who knew that this would become such a popular guessing game \u2013 from the center of elementary school gossip in the grass seed capitol of the world (Albany, Ore.)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Names"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3853,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/actual-conversation-held-today\/","url_meta":{"origin":1460,"position":1},"title":"Actual Conversation Held Today","date":"April 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"So this happened\u2026 Them: Sweet, twins! Money! Me: Them: Are they twins? Me: Yes. Them: \u2026 Me: \u2026 Them: They don\u2019t look alike. Like, they don\u2019t look identical. Me: They\u2019re not identical. Them: But they\u2019re twins? Me: Yes, they\u2019re fraternal twins. Them: So\u2026what does that mean? Me: Basically\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Seriously?"","img":{"alt_text":"Twin Confusion","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Twin-Confusion.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":256,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/whats-in-a-name\/","url_meta":{"origin":1460,"position":2},"title":"What’s in a Name?","date":"June 9, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The neonatologists at Kaiser\u2019s NICU are all fabulous. They are dedicated to making sure our little ones are getting the best care. They always take the time to stop and talk about the boys progress when they see us \u2013 despite having a specialty focused on little tiny babies who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Baby Photos"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/streamdoubletrouble.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/06\/caden_12days_6-9-10.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":552,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/twins\/","url_meta":{"origin":1460,"position":3},"title":"Twins","date":"August 19, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, they are twins. They are two boys. Yes, they are cute babies. No, they are not identical; they are fraternal. No, that does not mean identical twin brothers. Yes, I can tell them apart. How? I look at them. Thank you. Yes, I have lost all the baby weight.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Baby Photos"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/streamdoubletrouble.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/08\/brothers_caden-logan_08-18-10.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":676,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/inspire-me-baby\/","url_meta":{"origin":1460,"position":4},"title":"Inspire Me Baby","date":"October 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The twins photo session has been featured on the \u201cInspire Me Baby\u201d blog \u2013 a publication aiming to providing inspiration for family photography. The muppets are young celebrities. \u201cFrom Keary Dee Photography: I shot these twins just a few weeks ago, but you\u2019d never know they were 3 months old\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Admin"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/the-twins-acheive-celebrity-status-at-an-early-age\/","url_meta":{"origin":1460,"position":5},"title":"The Twins Achieve Celebrity Status at an Early Age!","date":"April 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Is Tricia Stream showing baby bumps? Yahoo! - 1 hour, 39 minutes ago LITTLE DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH?? Is Tricia Stream expecting a little bundle of joy? Tricia had a noticeable baby bump when seen leaving Pizza Hut in Denton last week. \"Now I know why she looked so cute\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Pre-natal"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1460"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1460\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}