Issue 27 — 110+ members & GROWING! January/February 2011

JANUARY 2011—Happy New Year!!

1st New Year‟s Day

5th 6:30pm, MMM Dinner Meeting Ruby Tuesday, Dewitt Slim Down For Spring

17th Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday

FEBRUARY

2nd 6:30pm, MMM Dinner Meeting Ruby Tuesday, Dewitt Slim Down For Spring, 2nd weigh in

14th Valentine‟s Day

21st President‟s Day

MARCH

2nd 6:30pm, MMM Dinner Meeting, Ruby Tuesday, Dewitt, Slim Down for Spring, final weigh-in

Will you be watching the up-coming season of American Idol now that Simon is gone?

20% said, nope have never been a fan

33% said yes, can’t wait to check out

J. Lo and Steven Tyler

46% said maybe, just for kicks!!!

Stats from paid members

only as of Jan 2010

1st weigh in January 5th, $25 due to participate

2nd weigh in February 2nd

1st place individual- 10% of prize money

Final weigh in March 2nd

1st place individual— 40% of prize money

2nd place individual— 20% of prize money

3rd place individual— 10% of prize money

Team with highest percentage— splits 20% of prize money

BONUS— Participants who lose 10% of their body weight

by March 3rd will have their MMM dues paid through

March 2012

Rules:

• Open only to paid MMM members.

• All prizes awarded based on percentage of weight lost.

• Participants must be present and weigh in to receive

prize money.

• Participants must lose weight to receive prize money.

• No refunds.

• Expectant moms may not participate.

• Moms who are less than 6 weeks post partum at the time

of the first weigh in are not eligible to participate.

2 MULTITUDES, January/February 2011

Executive Board PRESIDENT Kelly Carter

kcssunshines@aol.com

(315) 308-0277

VICE PRESIDENT Mary Wood

TREASURER Tracy Blumer

RECORDING SECRETARY Leslie Petty

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY Cyndi Rizzo

Committees LIBRARIAN Amanda Fosberg

CHILDREN’S LIBRARIAN Susan Hayes

Renee Gurley

MEMBERSHIP Mary Wood

Mercedes Genei

BIG SISTERS Meghan Leonardis

NEWSLETTER Leslie Petty

Mary Wood

PUBLICITY Aimee Dryer

MEETING PROGRAMS Lisa Vona

PLAYGROUPS Kelly Somerlot

Krista Selig

PREEMIE CLOSET Melissa Sainsbury

HISTORIAN Leslie Petty

STATE REPRESENTATIVE Kelly Carter

NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE Mercedes Genei

Kelly Carter Mom to 5 year old twin girls &

MMM founder and president

“Sleep, please…..”

I did not know what sleep deprivation was until I had my twins. For the first

few weeks of their lives, the girls slept a lot, and we often had to wake them

to feed them as directed by the doctor. Soon, they woke up on their own.

They cried all night- one or the other, and sometimes both at the same time.

It seemed that there was an alarm that would go off as soon as my feet

came up off the floor and onto the bed. WAHHHHH! There were nights

when I was so tired I couldn‟t keep track of how many ounces they ate or

how many diaper changes I did. I would count the bottles and diapers that

were all over the floor.

I now understand why sleep deprivation was used as a form of torture back

in the early centuries. For me, there was no difference between day and

night, and soon I couldn‟t sleep even when the twins were sleeping. I just

knew that they would wake up any second, so why bother.

My least favorite question from people was, “Are they sleeping through the

night yet”. Uh, no, not even close. I had friends who had babies that were

sleeping through the night. I also had friends that had babies that drank

their whole bottles on a schedule. Not my babies. They would cry, arch

their backs, turn red, choke, spit up, and projectile vomit. The bottle was not

our friend. The girls ate an ounce here and an ounce there. We burped

them often and we kept them upright after each feeding. At their four month

check up, the girls were diagnosed with reflux and started taking Zantac.

Slowly things got better and eventually the girls starting being able to eat

more and sleep more.

If I had to do it all again (which I won‟t be), I would do my best to have more

help caring for the babies- especially at night. I would also, be more aware

of the signs of reflux and get the meds sooner. Finally, once I knew my

babies were healthy, dry and fed, I would do a better job at sleep training.

At five years of age the girls sleep about ten blissful hours a night. Sure,

some days I am still tired, but this is nothing compared to the first year as a

mommy of twins. For all of the mommy‟s suffering with sleep deprivation,

ask for help, turn off the monitor and know that this too shall pass.

MULTITUDES, January/February 2011 3

ADULT HOLIDAY PARTY

Contact: Cyndi Rizzo & Jodi Hayes

BIG SISTERS

Contact: Megan Leonardis

We offer a "Big Sister" to paid MMM members that are

pregnant and/or are new moms of multiples during the first 3

months after giving birth. We pair you up with a member that

has multiples like you have (or will have). The idea is for the

big sister to check in with her little sister often— to offer

support, advice, help, etc. as needed. Then she reports to

the group at each meeting on how her "little sister" is doing.

The little sister can also contact her big sister as needed.

Please contact Megan to get hooked up with a "big sister"

today! If your multiples are over a year old and are

interested in becoming a “big sister” contact Megan today

CHILDREN’S LIBRARIAN

Contact: Susan Hayes & Renee Gurley

We are now collecting books for our children‟s lending

library. We are looking for books that are gently used or

new, and pertain to useful or enriching topics like potty

training, multiples, multiculturalism, special needs or growing

families, to name a few!

COOKBOOK FUNDRAISER

Contact: Mary Wood, , Leslie Petty,

Christine Coomes, Lori McIntyre & Donna Refici

As a club fundraiser we have published a cookbook with our

own 150 recipes. We ask that each member sell or buy 2;

they make great gifts. For more ordering information please

go to www.multiplemomsmingle.com/cookbook.html

CROUSE NICU DONATIONS

Contact: Kelly Somerlot

HISTORIAN

Contact: Leslie Petty

Leslie is gathering photos for the clubs scrapbook. If you

have a photo to share, please give it to Leslie. Any "old"

club photos or group photos would be great.

LIBRARIAN

Contact: Amanda Fosberg

Worried about "what to expect?" Interested in learning more

about twins and triplets? Scared to start potty training?

Please contact Amanda if you are interested in donating or

checking out any books, videos or magazines from our

library.

MEMBERSHIP/DIRECTORY

Contact: Mary Wood & Mercedes Genei

If you are a new member, please download and complete a

registration form under the files section of the member‟s only

Yahoo groups site or under membership on our site

multiplemomsmingle.com. You can send Mary a photo of

your kids or family if you'd like one included in the MMM

directory that gets updated every other month.

NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

Contact: Mercedes Genei

NEWSLETTER

Contact: Leslie Petty & Mary Wood

Have an idea for a great article? Please submit them to

either Leslie or Mary by the 10th of the month.

(Continued on page 6)

A Slim Down Primer

By Jen Harte

Get honest. Be strong enough to stand in your truth. Own your choices. How to do this? Write down everything you eat. With all the studies and all of the research performed each year on weight loss, keeping a food log and writing down every single thing resulted in participants losing weight 100% of the time.

Love yourself. You are an amazing woman. You are a beautiful and perfect person, just as you are. You are caring, loving, generous and gorgeous!! Thank your body for all it has done for you. Your body got you here tonight. Your body gives you the power to hug and comfort your children and to laugh with your friends. Your body gives you a good life, and you should thank it, not berate it.

You are more than a number on a tag in your clothing. You are more than a statistic or unit of measure that counts things that aren‟t important. You are better than defining yourself based on external appearances.

Everybody is different. You won‟t be ready to be your healthiest you until you‟re ready. Your “A-ha” moment will be different from everyone else‟s because you‟re different from everyone else. When that moment arrives, when you say “enough of eating this crap, I want better for me” YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFUL. Until then, strive for number 1 and number 2. You really are blessed to have the body you have.

Jen’s Bag of Tricks:

Eat the same thing every day for breakfast. It removes the

endless choices that inevitably lead to a poor one. For me, it‟s a cup of plain rolled oats with ½ tsp of brown sugar.

During Slim Down time, I eat the same lunch every day too.

Again, if you don‟t have a vast array of choices lying before you it is so much easier to stick to your eating plan. For me, lunch is a Weight Watchers Zero Point Soup, an Arnold Deli Thin with a section of Laughing Cow Cheese.

Drink water. At least 2 liters of water every day.

Fiber One bars. I eat one between breakfast and lunch.

Don‟t eat fake food-like stuff. There is an entire industry

surrounding making foods that are supposed to help you lose weight. Those 100 calorie packs, diet soda. Yogurt with 4 calories. If any of that worked, as a nation we would be getting smaller, not bigger. Want a cookie? Skip the 100 calorie pack which leaves you still wanting and eat a damn cookie. Eat that ONE cookie and taste it, enjoy it, and then move on with your day.

Keep junk out of your house. One can overeat on anything,

no matter how healthfully you‟ve stocked your house. But it is a whole lot easier to overeat if you‟ve got marshmallow fluff and cans of frosting lying around. Don‟t use your kids as an excuse. If it isn‟t healthy for you, it probably isn‟t so great for them either. Set them up for years of healthful eating by having those treats be occasional things you eat outside your home.

Exercise. Quit making excuses and just do it. Even two 10

minute walks a day will be impactful. There has never been a time when I asked my kids if they wanted to go for a walk and they turned me down. It will be fun for all of you. Or, get 10 minutes of peace and quiet and go alone.

4 MULTITUDES, January/February 2011

Multiple Merry Christmas!!!!

MULTITUDES, January/February 2011 5

6 MULTITUDES, January/February 2011

PLAYGROUPS & ZOO TRIPS

Contact: Krista Selig & Kelly Somerlot

Playgroups are being formed throughout the year. Please

contact Krista and/or Kelly if you'd like to schedule a play

date at your home or even a park. Please check the

MMM Calendar for other upcoming play dates.

PREEMIE CLOSET

Contact: Melissa Sainsbury

Our preemie closet is full and available. Contact Melissa

if you need to borrow it.

PUBLICITY

Contact: Aimee Dryer

We have ads for our meetings in the Penny Saver and

Family Times. Special events are advertised too.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE

Contact: Kelly Carter

NYS Mothers of Twins Club Convention is in Syracuse at

Emabssy Suites, April 28 through May 1, 2011. Enjoy

massage therapy, a psychic, raffles, a comedian, a ghost

hunter, dinner, dancing, and more.

HELP WANTED

Consider your own talents and interests, as well as how

much time you will be able to invest. If your children are

over 1 year of age, we ask you to join a committee and

help support our organization. Please email Christine

Coomes to volunteer.

● Big Sisters (contact Meghan Leonardis)

● Semi-Annual Clothing & Equipment Sale Spring „11

(Continued from page 3)

TWIN GIRLS: Violet Anne, 5lbs 9oz and Adena Marie, 7lbs born on November 23, 2010 to Christina Jureller and Luke

Giroux.

TWIN GIRLS: Caroline Hope and Catherine Grace born on December 2, 2010 to Rhonda and Eric Payne and proud

siblings Lauren and Emily.

Multiple Moms to be... LeeAnne Cuyler, Expecting Triplets, Feb '11

Tondra Hulett, Expecting Twins, Mar '10

Laura Toczek, Expecting Twins, Apr '09

Multiple Mommy Expecting One More!

Jaclyn Christenson Expecting a singleton, Jan ‘11

Mary Wood Expecting a singleton, July ‘11

If you are feeling totally overwhelmed by stress, phone a friend,

chat on Facebook or shoot her an email.

Research shows that social bonding can

lower cortisol levels. And...don’t forget to

check out our group, Multiple Moms Mingle

on Facebook!!!

New moms to Multiple Moms Mingle!

• Michele Romanowski • Melanie Addai • Rhonda Payne • Jamie Hagenbuch

• Andrea Mackey • YOUR NAME HERE!

114 members & GROWING!

Fun (and cheap) Outdoor Winter Activities

Go ice skating, snowshoeing, or cross coun-try skiing (check your local parks for trails and places to rent equipment)

Go on a winter hike

Build a winter bonfire and make s‟mores

Rent some snowshoes and go snowshoeing

Go sledding

Build a snow fort and have a snowball fight with the kids

Set up a snowy obstacle course in the yard with jumps, tunnels, and other challenges

Go on a winter picnic

Make birdfeeders out of pinecones, peanut butter and birdseed. Grab a camera a do some birdwatching

Make snow paint in a spray bottle out of wa-ter and food coloring. Then, let the kids paint the yard!!!

MULTITUDES, January/February 2011 7

CHILDREN—

1st Jamie Sebastian's 10th Birthday

6th Alexi, Blake & Colden Sheen's 4th Birthday

10th Owen & Molly Primrose's 1st Birthday

11th Tyler & Sydney Davis‟ 3rd Birthday

21st Brenna Stoffregen's 7th Birthday

23rd Twins Demko's 2nd Birthday

24th Madison Morgan's 3rd Birthday

29th Benjamin & Nicholas Graff's 3rd Birthday Emmett & Liam Reed's 1st Birthday

31st Alaina Blok's 3rd Birthday

MOMS—

2nd Kristen Duggleby's Birthday

3rd Andrea McCarthy's Birthday

8th Laura Toczek's Birthday

9th Erin Houghton's Birthday

10th Karen Cahill's Birthday

13th Teresa Demko's Birthday

14th Casey Frazee's Birthday

21st Nyaboke Nduati's Birthday

25th Colleen Klei's Birthday

Deidre Prince's Birthday

26th Jennifer Harte's Birthday

28th Robin Rickey's Birthday

31st Heather Brubaker's Birthday

Cassandra Sheets‟ Birthday

CHILDREN—

1st Michael McCarthy's 5th Birthday

5th Kate & Clair Hayes‟ 5th Birthday

13th Anna Johnson's 7th Birthday

19th Patrick & Shaelyn St John's 2nd Birthday

21st Claire & Lauren Petty's 5th Birthday

22nd Aurora Ptak's 3rd Birthday

24th Jacob Cuyler's 9th Birthday

27th Ainsley & Campbell White's 2nd Birthday

MOMS—

1st Cathy Keating's Birthday

5th Kathy Seastead's Birthday

14th Kara Primrose's Birthday

18th Renee Gurley's Birthday

19th Karen LaVancha's Birthday

23rd Rhonda Payne's Birthday

24th Kristen Smith's Birthday

Danielle Dorsey's Birthday

26th Amy Ruetsch's Birthday

27th Barbara Allott's Birthday

Walking or running on a treadmill can be kind of boring, but I

find if you have great music blasting in your ears….it makes a

world of difference. Here are some of my favorites to keep me

motivated to stay on the treadmill for longer than I really want

to!!!! Check them out! Maybe you’ll feel like doing that extra

mile! Leslie P. mom to twins plus 2

Beautiful Day-U2 I Can’t Hold Back-Survivor

Stonger-Britney Spears Firework-Katy Perry

Girlfriend-Avril Lavigne Summer Days-Partridge Family

Single Ladies-Beyonce We Got it Goin On-Bon Jovi

Lost Highway-Bon Jovi Few and Far Between-10,000 Maniacs

Who Knew-Pink Don’t Wait for Heroes-Dennis DeYoung

Breathless-The Corrs Son of Man-Phil Collins (Tarzan)

Walk Along With Me-Expose Hey Soul Sister-Train

City of Blinding Lights-U2 You Belong with Me-Taylor Swift

If Looks Could Kill-Heart Baby I’m a Star-Prince

What keeps you motivated to stick to your diet and fitness rou-

tine?? Email LPetty65@aol.com with your favorite workout

tunes, diet tips, a favorite healthy snack….whatever works for

you...and we will share it in our next newsletter.

Heading out to dinner for Valentines’s Day?

Dieting Tips for Eating Out

Be prepared. Check out the restaurant‟s menu before you

head out to determine healthy choices.

Ask for your food to be grilled or broiled, not fried, can it be

made without butter, sauce on the side, please.

Skip foods that say au gratin, scalloped, parmigiana, or

scampi . These all tend to be rather high fat.

A glass of wine or a drink with dinner is fine, but too many

drinks often lead the way for letting your guard down and

over eating. Drinks like margaritas and dacquiris tend to

be high in calories., so limit yourself to only one.

Many salad dressings are loaded with calories. Put your

dressing on the side and just dip your fork before your

salad. Skip the mayonaise laden salad, go easy on the

bacon bits, cheese and croutons.

Plan on eating only half your meal. Ask for a take out con-

tainer right away. Put half of your meal in it before you

start eating and set it off to the side. You will likely never

miss it.

If you are gonna have dessert, split it!!!

8 MULTITUDES, January/February 2011

Multitudes, Multiple Moms Mingle newsletter, happily accepts suggestions, tips, articles and information for publication from members... although we do hold editorial rights. ;) We did our best to get all of the information correct and up-to-date. If you

notice something that is incorrect or was left out, please let us know.

A special thank you to Dr. Robert Kiltz, CNYFC, for his kindness and generosity with the printing of the Multitudes newsletter.

Please submit information and materials to Leslie Petty or Mary Wood by the 10th of the month prior to publication.

Lend a Helping Hand!

MMM Volunteer Rewards

Program

MMM members that volunteer their time to help our organization can earn raffle tickets to be placed in a drawing for FREE MMM dues for 2011! Simply volunteer your time at an event or on a committee and

submit a ticket request. (Ticket request forms available online, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/multiplemomsmingle/files/) If your children are over 1 year of age, we ask you to join a committee and help support our organization.

A drawing for 3 FREE MMM annual memberships will take place on February 2, 2011 at our monthly dinner meeting.

There’s never been a better reason to get

more involved with MMM!