The featured blogger this week is Carrie of Mom Cheat Sheet. Carrie is the proud MoM of 11 month old twins Peanut and Monkey. Mom Cheat Sheet is full of useful tips and tricks from one MoM of twins to another.

What made you decide to start Mom Cheat Sheet?

From the time I found out I was pregnant, I always felt like I needed to learn a ton of things. I remember when I first went to the store to register for the babies: I walked in, immediately stood in front of a huge, overwhelming wall of bottles, had a panic attack, and promptly turned around and left. I had an overwhelming feeling that I had no clue what I needed and was completely unprepared!

Luckily, I have a sister who came with me the next time and helped (even better, she has twins too!). But there have been lots of such moments both in pregnancy and after the babies were born. Much of what I know I learned along the way – from family, friends, and Google!

I wanted to create something to help other new moms who are just trying to figure out the basics like me – a “cheat sheet” of helpful how-tos, and a place to either ask or find the answer to “stupid” questions. If I can help out one person who is hugging her computer at 1 am trying to determine if her baby is teething or not, then I think I will have been successful! And hopefully I’ll share some smiles along the way 🙂

Were you surprised when you discovered you were pregnant with twins?

What an amazing surprise! When we first saw two little peanuts growing away, it was a very surreal moment. I’m not sure it really hit us until the drive home when we looked at each other and had the “oh my gosh” moment. The next ultrasound was even better – two hearts beating on the screen was the most amazing thing I have ever seen!

What has been the biggest thing you have learned in the first 11 months of their lives?

I really have learned so many things, but the babies have actually taught me the biggest lesson: Live in the moment. I think we all spend so much time trying to capture everything, share every step, learn all we can, and make sure we are doing all the right things that sometimes we forget to just stop and enjoy the two little miracles that are now spreading my tupperware all across the kitchen. I am reminded of this each time my son’s face lights up as I magically turn on the lights, or the times when my daughter opens the dresser drawer and discovers that she can sit in in the bottom drawer under the socks – and thinks it’s the greatest thing ever. I think we can all learn something from the magic that is childhood!

What is one piece of advice you would give a new MoM?

Get them on a schedule – and on the SAME schedule. It is a lifesaver!

Seriously. Start now!

What are some of your favorite products for your kiddos?

I have so many! For bathtime, I love California Baby’s Bubble Bath. It’s gentle on their skin (both have bouts with eczema), smells really good, and comes with a bubble wand for you to entertain them! The body wash/shampoo soap is really good as well. For feeding time, the Fisher Price Space Saver High Chairs are great. With multiples, your floor space becomes high in demand. These sit on my kitchen chairs, so they take up less area. Also, they recline – so when the babies were really little, I could bottle feed them both at the same time. Now that they are sitting up and can eat finger food, the chairs adjust to grow with them! For a Mom’s helper, the Skip Hop Duo Double Diaper Bag is the perfect size for two!

What question(s) do you have for the other families in the community?

We are entering the stage where the babes are beginning to get frustrated with each other as they take each others toys, and as they figure out that they can’t have mommy all to themselves! How do you handle “fighting” when they are this age? What age did you start disciplining those sweet faces, and what tips do you have?

Be sure to leave your answer to Carrie’s question in the comment section and then head over to Mom Cheat Sheet to leave some bloggy love!