Twice the Love Half the Sleep, an Interview with Amanda N.

Tell us more about yourself, your family, and your site:

I’m originally from Chicago and now live in Orlando with my husband Scott and our 3 1/2 year old twins, Aaron and Jillian.  I started Twice the Love…Half the Sleep when the kids were around 6 months old. I had other friends who blogged and I loved being able to put the updates in a place where my family in Chicago could easily access it. Since then my site has grown, and I also run another site for families with multiples called Multiples and More.

Being the mother of twins, how do you manage your time? Do you have any management tips for other moms who have twins?

I was fortunate enough to learn time management at a young age. I was in marching band in high school and between practices and school work you had to be able to manage your time in order to get everything done. I have a pretty strict schedule I try to keep for myself, and that’s how I stay sane. I think the best advice I ever got when I found out I was pregnant with twins is that you have to keep a schedule. Granted there are some days the schedule goes out the window, and that’s fine–everyone needs a day like that.

What are some of your favorite things to do with your family?

Since we live so close to the theme parks we love to go visit them. We also love just hanging out in the backyard on the swing set.  As long as we are together and having fun, it’s going to be one of my favorite things.

Name one or two of your favorite recipes on your site. What are your family’s favorite recipes?  

Hands down my favorite recipe on my site is for beer cheese soup. The recipe is from Le Cellier in Epcot and it is just so delicious, I cannot even begin to describe it. When my Mom comes into town I have to make it, even if it’s 100 degrees outside. I think Scott would agree on the beer cheese soup, but he also really likes my turkey chili, which says a lot considering he doesn’t like chili. I would say Aaron’s favorite recipe is my banana nut bread and Jill’s would be the scotch shortbread.

What are some ways in which your family tries to save money?

I coupon–almost extreme coupon. I have $120 a week that I can spend on groceries/toiletries and things like that, so I have to stretch my dollar as far as it will go. I get one paper each week for each member of my family (yup, 4 papers), unless there are really good coupons–then I’ll grab more. I subscribe to couponing sites and request any special booklets with coupons that are coming out.

What are your top 5 tips for moms?

In no particular order:

• Take photos all the time: you will never get that moment back, so make sure you capture it. You can never ever have too many photos.
• Don’t stress if you didn’t get everything on your “to-do” list done today, it will still be there tomorrow. Try to live in the present and enjoy that time.
• If you’re having a rough week, take a moment to think of something great that has happened to you during the week. I do a Thanksgiving Thursday post every week just to remind myself that no matter how rough things got during the week, there is always something to be thankful for.
• Make sure you get some “you time”, even if it’s just 15 minutes to talk on the phone uninterrupted.
• Date your husband/significant other. It’s so easy to get caught up in the daily grind (trust me, I’m guilty of this), but it’s important to keep a focus on your marriage/relationship as well.

Contact Information:

Site: http://netherotwins.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Twice-the-LoveHalf-the-Sleep/133156420057515

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/AmandaNethero

Email: twicetheloveblog@hotmail.com