BOO!!

Today is October 31st. Do you know what that means? Well, yes it means ghosts, goblins, and witches. Also, it does mean getting candy. So that must mean that it's... HALLOWEEN!!!

This is my 2nd most favorite holiday in the year. For those who aren't familiar with the history of Halloween (no, not the commercialism), here's a little snippet:

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced "sah-win").

The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.

The festival would frequently involve bonfires. It is believed that the fires attracted insects to the area which attracted bats to the area. These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween.
(Taken from http://www.halloweenhistory.org/)

Now that you have that little history, want some fun links to enjoy before taking the little ones trick or treating... or even going by yourself? Well, i'm glad you asked!

Want to carve a pumpkin without the mess?
http://www.cubpack81.com/images/carve_pumpkin.swf

Want to print and make your own masks?
http://www.allfreeprintables.com/halloween/jacklantern.shtml

http://www.allfreeprintables.com/halloween/clown.shtml

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/acProject?lc=en&cc=us&extcat=partykitsdecorations&dlc=en&project=halloweenmasks

Want to be able to color online?
http://www.coloring.com/pictures/halloween

Funny Halloween pictures?
http://www.halloweenwishes.com/funny_pictures/

What are we doing this Halloween? Not too much except eat on ice cream and watch horror movies. We weren't able to get candy to hand out this year. :( Sorry, kiddos! Next year, I promise to give ya'll tons of candy to make up for this year!

So, have a SAFE Happy Halloween from us to you!

Who are we?

(Let's use this picture again so you get the idea. Right? Good, let's go on!)

Okay, this post, I thought I would let you in on your blog hostesses (is that even a word?). First off, let's start with the blue-haired twin. Well, the blue is no longer there, but you get the idea. Cool? Cooooooooel!! Then, a few posts later, you'll meet the other twin. Thumbs up for that!!

The blue-haired woman is me, Amanda. I'm from Texas (yeehaw!) and 23 years old. It doesn't seem like it in the above picture, does it? I didn't think so either. We need a new one done. Hey Twiiiiiiiiin, let's make Saturday picture day, okay?

............................................................. want that one...... oooh! Christmas gift alert........
Sorry, got distracted. Darn those cute Etsy shops!

Anyways, what can I say about me.... Amanda. I'm a mean-spirited, egotistical and stubborn southern gal....... GOTCHA! I'm not actually mean-spirited or egotistical. I can be stubborn, and how far south can you go than Texas? On second thought, don't answer that one.

Before you ask who's older, the other twin is by 1 minute.

Now that we have that answered, let's keep on truckin'. I love anything Christmas, Halloween, or teddy bears. I have a thing for teddy bears. I don't know why. Also, I love anything that matches something else- like twins. It's just a natural thing.

Now that you have a TINY taste of what i'm about, looking for the next post about the other twin.

If you have any questions, ask them! No question is too offensive, big, small, stupid, or just random!

Umm... i'm sorry, what's your name again?

Have you ever gone blank with 1 person's name? C'mon, don't be bashful. You know you have. Now, like in the previous post, I told you I would give you a lesson in meeting with twins and ways not to be nervous. Shall we start?

Okay, let's start off with a scenario. The tips will be much more helpful if you can visualize this.

You're at a party. You're kind of a wallflower and shy. You don't like to draw attention to yourself. Now, keep in mind this is just a pretend thing, this may not be you at all. A set of twins come your way and want to talk to you. Are your palms sweaty? Are you afraid you won't be able to tell them apart? Here's where the tips will help.

Whatever you do, be honest. If they tell you their names and you still can't tell them apart, ask them for ways to help you remember. Believe me, they've had plenty of people ask them- so they won't feel offended.

If they are talking at the same time, and it reminds you of the movie, The Shining, and it freaks you out, or confuses you, ask them if there's any way they can speak one at a time. There's two things that will happen: 1) They'll say "Sure!" or 2)Continue talking in unison and then their heads will swivel around and they'll cackle. I'm pretty sure you can guess which option is more likely to happen.

Pretend you are talking to 2 separate people. In fact, they are 2 different people. They have separate personalities. They have their own likes/dislikes. The only thing that sets them apart from other people is that they look a like. Don't let it confuse you. It's perfectly normal.

Also, twins tend to stick together. They are 'joined at the hip' so to speak. To make yourself seem more comfortable, ask them questions. We've heard all the questions in the book, so we most likely won't get upset if we hear it again. However, don't ask what it's like having a twin sister. The most common answer, and it is truth, is "It's like have any other sibling. We're just the same age."

By the way, not all twins dress alike. Usually, we just do it because we want to and well... it's funny to confuse people.

So there ya go. Easy tips to help less your nerves when meeting twins. This has been Amanda, your host this afternoon. Have a lovely evening.

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Before I leave, don't forget to send in your funny/sad twin stories! Send stories and/or pictures to: twintastic99@yahoo.com

Twin Story Of The Week. CALLING ALL TWINS!!!

I'm going to do something new. Every Thursday, i'll spotlight a funny/sad story sent in by other twins. It'll even include a picture of the siblings if they want it. There are some guidelines to sending in your story:

Guidelines

1. Stories should be family-friendly.
2. No pictures for twins under the age of 18 will be accepted.
3. For twins under the age of 18 who are submitting a story, get your parents permission first.
4. When submitting your story, give only first names and your state.
5. There is no timeline for when you must get your story in.
6. Again, stories should be family-friendly.

To send in your picture (optional) and story, email them to twintastic99@yahoo.com.

Once your story is chosen, I will email you back with the link to your story. So, what are you waiting for?? SEND SEND SEND!!!

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What is our next post going to be? Well, of course, it's going to be a little lesson on how to talk to twins and not feel so nervous. Yes, it does happen. So, stay tuned. More news at 11...

This Is Halloween.....

Since Halloween is just right around the corner (8 more days... so get those costumes ready), this holiday makes me think of trick-or-treating when I was young. Oh yes, sorry by the way, there will be no pictures for the costume story. They were burned in a 2001 house fire.

So, shall we carry on??

When my sister and I were about 8 years old, we both wanted to be Minnie Mouse for Halloween. Well, since my mother would be the only one getting our costumes, make-up, and hair together, she had to come up with way to make it cheaper.

Mom bought one Minnie Mouse costume- and 2 pairs of mouse ears. No, she didn't make us share. She decided to replicate the costume. It didn't matter if the fabric was lighter or if the tulle wasn't as great quality. She did what she could. However, the sewing of the costume made it look exact- minus the small change in color. We didn't care, we would still become Minnie Mouse.

As Halloween rolls around, we started getting the glitter to go in our hair and on our face. Mom bought non-toxic make-up for our cheeks. How can I forget the black noses we donned? We were adorable. Every house we went to, we got extra candy. How could you pass up twins that had a cute Minnie Mouse costume on? We felt like we owned that block!

Now, whenever twins come up and knock on my door, I give them a little something extra. Perhaps those Snicker bars will give them more energy!

TWIN FOR SALE!!!!! Everything must go!

No, i'm not really selling my twin. You do get the idea of what this subject is all about, right? Right?!

Okay kids..... it's STORY TIME!!! Sit on the magic rug and pay attention. Tommy, stop hitting Olivia or I will have to call your mom. Allison, that's not edible! Don't put that in your mouth! Once every one has settled down, I will start.

If you have a twin sibling, you know what it's like to feel like you're in some competition vying for mom's attention. It happens. However, have you ever felt like just putting them up on eBay? Well, at least the shipping would be free! No, i'm not telling you to go on eBay and advertise your sibling.

When I was a few years younger than I am now, we would have family meetings about money and how we could save. Being the opportunity-taker that I am, I raised my hand. When my mom called on me, I didn't take much time voicing my opinion.

Mom: Yes, Amanda?
Me: How about if we sell Angela?
Mom: Say that again?
Me: How about if we sell Angela?
Mom: (starts laughing)
Me: I'm sure people would pay a lot for her.
Mom: (continues to laugh)

Apparently, she didn't like the idea by what she said next.

Mom: We can't sell your sister. And we won't sell your sister.

I then looked at my sister and said "Fine! You better watch Mr. Hops-A-Lot (name changed to protect identity) or he'll be bunny-napped!" I wasn't really going to steal Mr. Hops-A-Lot. I just wanted the fear to run through her.

Of course, she knows I was just kidding. At least, I hope she did. Maybe that's why whenever she gets a stuffed animal (she still loves them at the age of 23), she hides them from me. Oops! My bad. Sorry there, Sis.

It's also Before & After picture time! Here's a picture of us really young at Christmastime. If you can't notice, we're the ones that are dressed a-like. Thanks, Mom. The next one isn't extremely recent, but it's still quite a jump there! Notice the blue hair.... that's me!!!

Twin Questions: Deny then, laugh at later

Being twins, you get asked the most redundant questions of ALL time. I think I got most of the questions in elementary and middle school. Looking back on them now, I know they were just curious, but some of them just made me want to smash a textbook on my head. You know the questions, and the bolded answers are what I should have said!

1) If I hit you, will she feel it?

No, but i'm sure if I hit you, you'd know what it feels like.

2) Are you guys sisters?
Oh no! You figured us out!!

3) Do you share everything?
Sure, we share everything from our drinks to our pillows. I thought everyone did that!

4) Do ya'll have the same classes?
Yeah, it's a two-fer for the teachers.... NOT!

On this next one, I did actually get this question in middle school. I didn't answer him because frankly, does it really need an answer?? I laugh about it now because I guess they've never experienced two people that look alike.

5) Do you share the same birthday?
Well.... twins usually do, don't they?

____________________________________________________________________

When my sister and I were little, we looked so much alike it was scary- you didn't know which one is which.

By the way, we're fraternal- not identical.

I still get questions if my sister and I are twins. Some of them are asked by old people- so I can't exactly be such a smartass. I do, however, feel like every time we go out, we should be wearing a t-shirt that says "Yes, we're twins."

Twins? Oh my!!

When I first started thinking about doing a blog, I couldn't really come up with anything to write about.

I could write about my life, but what fun is that if you're just one person?

I could write about my 3 cats and puppy, but all they do is sleep, eat, and play. Again, how fun is that?

Then, I looked at my sister and a light bulb went off in my head. That's it!! That dork has helped me!!

I finally figured out what I was going to write about. Who doesn't like hearing stories about twins? Well, I can name a few, but they don't count.

We're both 23, so we have very strong opinions on different things and some times we don't even see eye-to-eye (now a Garth Brooks song comes to mind... darn his good music!!).

We do have some great stories, and some sad ones. Mainly good than sad- which can be a good thing sometimes.

So what will this blog do? Well, we'll share reviews on our favorite products (that we both like), we'll give away free stuff (YAY!), and we'll share stories of being twins.....
Okay, okay, we'll even update you on what's going on in our life!

TWINTASTIC TO THE RESCUE!!!!