Twins and Coffee Friday Chat Vol.2

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Twins and Coffee Friday Chat

See, I told you I’d be back with another Friday Chat post! How have you been this week?

I’ve been hearing from you guys and some friends that everything going on is sending a flooding wave of emotions, and that sometimes it just feels like you’re on a roller coaster. I know around me here in Oregon, this last week has been super hard with the announcement that school has now been cancelled through the end of the school year.

Luckily my babies are only two so I don’t need to worry about school quite yet, but I really empathize with those families that are now trying to manage life at home with kids again, most without childcare. It honestly just seems like some cruel joke at this point.

But we’re not here to talk about the doom and gloom, so let’s leave it at that.

Tell me something GOOD that has happened this week.

To you, your aunt, your boss, someone you saw on Facebook. Just give me something GOOD that has happened.

Let’s see.. some good around here…

Well I told you guys last week that I was pretty much flat on my ass when it came to the sponsored work I do here with Twins and Coffee that keeps my family afloat. But luckily something came up that I will be sharing with you guys next week, so that is a win in my book!

Other than that, my daughter Kendall has started getting really interested in the kitchen and baking, so she has helped whip together a few things of which brownies seemed to be her favorite. Can you guess why?

Because she got to lick the “spoon”, duh!

Another good, but more “fun” thing that happened this week was I put together this makeup look for a fun TikTok challenge with some friends and absolutely LOVE how it turned out. I definitely having fun with my makeup more often!

But now what about you? Comment and let me know something good that has happened in your life lately!

Now let’s get into the meat of what I wanted to share here.

Last week I introduced the Twins and Coffee Friday chat and gave you an idea of what I wanted to start including in it.

Things are obviously still in the works, but I’m going to be sharing with you guys a lot of similar things today.

I’m talking:

• Latest posts from Twins and Coffee
• Trending posts from Twins and Coffee
• What is new on social media
• Some stories/posts I’ve loved

And then well see what else!

With that, let’s get to it and review this past week!

Here are. a few new posts from Twins and Coffee:

How to Create a Daily Routine That Works

Best Apps for Mental Health

DIY Coffee Recipes You Can Make at Home

Those three posts pretty much describe where my head is at lately. Trying to work out a new routine that serves me, taking on my mental health struggles head on, as well as drinking alllll of the coffee.

I highly recommend checking out the coffee post, I mean, all these posts are great, but the coffee one is where you’ll likely fid your new morning favorite. If you like iced coffee that is.

Now for what is trending:

I don’t even like this post, tbh. It was one of the first things I ever published here on Twins and Coffee but it goes to show that the rumors are true, everyone it making banana bread right now. This has been my number one post for a few weeks now.

In the Kitchen | Simple Banana Bread Muffins

Right along with this post featuring an assortment of ideas for baby led weaning.

30 Baby Led Weaning Dinners for the Whole Family

And then I am not at all surprised that the third trending post over the last seven days is this one about egg decorating hacks for toddlers

Decorating Easter Eggs with Toddlers Three Ways

That easter egg post is honestly one of my favorites. Simply because it was such a FUN day with the twins. They had so much fun splashing around in the colored water, playing in whipped cream and shaking around the eggs. Highly, highly recommend!

And here are a few favorite social media posts from this past week:

By far, my favorite. Click and go read. Then follow the hashtag.

View this post on Instagram

Spot the difference between the two photos. What do you see? Anything? That’s right, you don’t. Because there is no difference. We’re all in a place right now where we feel vulnerable. And you know what is NOT helping? Those memes joking about quarantine weight gain. You know, the lady standing in front of the fridge or the jokes about “trying on your jeans to make sure they still fit”. Come on. You have ENOUGH weight on your shoulders right now. Between job loss, homeschooling, mental health struggles and so much unknown about the future, the last thing on your mind should be what you might look like after this. I promise you, your value will not change. Your worth isn’t any different from before. We are all doing the best we can to get by. Your body might change over this time. Activity levels have changed. Eating habits have changed. Our entire lives have changed. Give yourself some grace for that. #thisismyquarantinebody

A post shared by Lynneah Bennett | Portland OR (@twinsandcoffeepnw) on Apr 5, 2020 at 6:00pm PDT

Another favorite has to do with sharing a bit about my NICU story with the twins, along with why I have joined the March of Dimes to fundraise for their phenomenal efforts for families who were in the exact position I was in 2.5 years ago.

View this post on Instagram

The first time I held both of my babies will forever hold a special place in my heart. I will never forget trying to delicately maneuver their tiny, tiny bodies onto my chest while keeping their feeding tubes and wires in place. Or the feeling of my blood pressure finally dropping feeling their warm bodies against my own. Being a NICU mom is something I hold deep in my heart. It was the single most earth shattering time of my life. Working through the pain over the last two and a half years has had its ups and downs. I’ve written a few posts about the ache is wears on my heart. The feelings it brought to light watching my best friends give birth to their sweethearts and watching their babies be put to their chest, rather than wheeled away. I’ve had to work through a lot of heartache. But something that has always held me up was the March of Dimes foundation. During our NICU stay, they not only offered assistance and guidance, but small gifts to help reassure us that we weren’t alone. Because of that, I promised myself that once I felt ready, I would give my time to support their initiatives. After the twins turned two, I felt ready. And since then have been working closely with the @marchofdimesor team in putting together their walk that was supposed to be held at the end of this month. Now that public gatherings are not a possibility any time soon, the campaign has now gone virtual and I’ve set up a page where, if you feel compelled, you can join my team or if you are in the position, donate. During this time, they are focused on keeping up with their assistance for families of premature babies, but also focusing on assisting mothers through their virtual appointments as well as uncertain births and NICU stays. If you’d love to read more about this, please head to the link in my bio and click on the March of Dimes button, or head to my stories to swipe up. Much love to you all, and thank you for being a part of my journey.

A post shared by Lynneah Bennett | Portland OR (@twinsandcoffeepnw) on Apr 8, 2020 at 11:57am PDT

If you would love to read more and join my team or donate, please click this link!

Finally, a handful of stories I’ve loved:

I forgot to save stories again. Maybe third time is the charm?

But I did save an assortment of graphics that made my heart happy. Here are a few of them that I hope brighten your day as well.

View this post on Instagram

COULD YOU SPEND SOME OF THIS TIME ASKING WHAT IT IS YOU WANT OUT OF THIS?👇 . 🎨@quotesbychristie ✒@anxiety_wellbeing . ANXIETY . 👉Can be caused by being focused on all that COULD go wrong in the FUTURE. 👉Experiencing a similar situation from the PAST that brings those feelings back. 👉Not having a full breath. Tension in the body. Not knowing how to navigate this feeling In the PRESENT. . HELPFUL COPING MECHANISMS Notice if you are experincing any of the 3 above. . 👉Accept the thought & feelings. It's ok. It's normal. Stop take some deep breaths. We have no real facts. So ask yourself what could go right? Imagine the best case scenario. 👉Accept the thoughts & feelings. It's ok. It's normal. Have you felt like this before? If yes when? This is not the same moment but a memory of it. Take some deep breaths, maybe it's time to write about that situation & let all the unsaid words & unfelt emotion out, because it's causing you to be living in past emotion. 👉Stop. Tension & shallow breath is our first response to stress & this response if left, will cause further messages to your mind that you're not ok. This is a reason for your fight flight freeze response to decide you're in some kind of danger & begin anxiety. Get into practice to spot the first signs . Stop to take deep breaths Relax on the exhale . Tell yourself 🗣I'm am feeling stressed, I must help my body & mind calm. These feelings will pass, try not to decide your actions based on these feelings. Try not to avoid, or limit yourself. If you need a break take one. If you notice you're stopping yourself because of fear push through. . 🌱PRESENT exersise WHAT do you want from this situation? . Have you noticed that it's great to not be rushing? That we are not really texting anymore but actually picking up the phone or video calling? That the world is breathing again? That animals must be breathing a sigh of relief? Should we stay close to family in the future instead of moving far away? The world issues that should now BE the PRIOROTY look different. Homeless Poverty Cramped housing Low wages . Etc. We could make real change here. . #anxiety#anxietycoach #copingskills #wellness #recovery

A post shared by Anxiety Wellbeing Coach (@anxiety_wellbeing) on Apr 6, 2020 at 5:37am PDT

View this post on Instagram

What is self-care? Is it bubble baths and expensive face masks? Trip to the spa or weekend getaways? It can be those things, but it doesn’t have to be those things. Self-care is a practice. It is about being present with yourself, listening to what your body and mind are communicating with you and responding with mindful actions of care. Self-care doesn’t have to cost anything. #laurajaneillustrations #selfcare #whatisselfcare #theselfcareclub #selfcaretips #thepracticeofselfcare

A post shared by Laura Jones (@laurajaneillustrations) on Apr 8, 2020 at 1:01am PDT

Until next week, mamas. Hang in there!

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