Parenting shared some of their own weird baby products. Here are a few — do you agree, or would you make the purchase?

Time Out Pad
We’re all for time outs, but a special pad that times it, makes sounds, and turns the whole thing into a game? We’re thinking a chair against the wall plus an egg timer works just fine

Nasal Aspirator
The words “battery operated” and “nasal aspirator” just shouldn’t go together. Babies are generally not a fan of aspirators — can you imagine your kiddo’s terror if the thing buzzed and vibrated too?

Zaky Infant Pillow
We can’t help but get creeped out looking at these disembodied hands cradling a baby. Even worse — they strike us as a blatant SIDS risk.

Sparkle Paci
Does a baby really need bling? And does said bling have to go in her mouth? In fact, some bedazzled binkies have already been recalled, so definitely skip this one.

Twigs Crayon Set
These are gorgeously rustic. But they’re also $150…for crayons — that you can’t sharpen without a pocketknife.

Potty Mitts
These mittens cover little hands so they don’t get germy in the bathroom. While we’re icked out by public bathrooms too, washing up with soap and water afterward should de-germ little hands without encouraging OCD.

Of a similar idea, check out these weird baby products, or other silly parenting purchases from BlogHer and ABC15.com.

The National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs, Inc. is looking for moms to help bring awareness and community involvement to the multiples family. Founded in 1960, the NOMOTC represents about 25,000 individual parents of multiples – twins, triplets, quads and up. A non-profit, its mission is to provide support through education, research and networking. They hold conventions, send out notebooks, or newsletters, to parents that include columns and features and offer frequent information on multiples for both expectant parents and those parents-to-be. There are many options on how to get involved — either individually or through a club. And you can do so while sitting at home in your PJ’s or laying out in the sun! For more information on how to become a volunteer for NOMOTC, email Volunteer@nomotc.org.

Volunteer opportunities and resources for those in the Boston Metro area include:

This week it was declared that United Airlines has ended their coach preboarding for children. But United is only one of a handful of airlines who have put this policy into effect. It was such before that parents with young children were able to board before the general boarding. Now, that luxury is only available to those sitting in first class or business class. Some have even gone so far as to declare this new policy “anti family.” Says Kate Hanni of flyersrights.org:

“There are very few things a parent can count on when it comes to air travel these days, but one of those things was always the ability to board first to get your children settled in and all of their needs met before the throngs of people board the plane,” said Hanni in an e-mail to CNN. “I hope United changes their mind.”

There are multiple sides to this story, and endless opinions on what is right — from the airline to parents to children themselves. Airlines that still do allow preboarding for families include: JetBlue, Delta and Virgina America.

If you didn’t get a chance to read our article and still need quick tips on how to travel with little ones and “under policy,” visit the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for details.

Here are some great teacher gifts (besides the standard Red Delicious):

If you feel like personalizing something, Personal Creations is a must-visit. Their collection of bags, plaques, mugs, jars — you name it — is vast, and there really is something for everyone. Monogrammed gifts go a long way and will most likely make an appearance on the teacher’s desk for years to come.

We all know that gift cards are boring for the twins to open. But for a teacher, they’re a lifesaver. Some quick cash to a supply store like Staples or Michael’s would assist the teacher in buying materials for a new class. Starbucks is always a no-brainer. What teacher doesn’t like coffee? Or, a gift card for a nice dinner out is just as good!

We don’t think gift baskets have gone out of style. There are lots of great themes you can build around, like wine and cheese, gardening, dinner-for-two, picnic or movie night. Have fun with it!

Want to send a “thank you” but just can’t afford the splurge? Have your twins sit down for a quiet 20 minutes and write a nice, heartfelt note about their school year and why the teacher rocks (we hope they do!). The gesture is way more important than the gift.

As ABCNews reports, this day happened quite by accident (and by a MA native, no less!):

Ruth Wakefield was preparing her traditional butter cookies at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Mass., when she decided on a whim to add pieces of a chocolate bar to her dough.  Wakefield expected the chocolate to melt into the dough but instead it held its shape.  The cookie was an instant hit and the recipe was printed in a local Boston newspaper.

Because of  the success of the recipe, Nestle began selling bags of chocolate chips in 1939 for bakers to use at home.

Because we love cookies, and we love chocolate, we thought it would be fun to seek out some of the best choco-recipes to concoct with the twins. For this, “too many cooks in the kitchen” is a good thing! Do you have the best CC-Chip combo? These recipes claim to!

The Original
The Best Ever
The Ultimate

For some classic Betty Crocker tips on baking with twins, click here to join the party.

We thought it fitting to recap a little history of this much-anticipated weekend, and hopefully, you can share it with your children…

Did You Know?

*Memorial Day was originally called “Decoration Day”
*Over 2 dozen cities and towns claim they are the birthplace of the holiday (Waterloo, NY was declared the birthplace in May 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson)
*Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 and first observed May 30th of that same year
*To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed on December 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, Americans “voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence…”

For those parents in the Boston Metro area, there are many weekend activities to get involved in, and memorial to show your thanks. Here are some of our favorites, by our very own Boston.com. For those of you outside our hometown, check with your local library or town hall for the holiday 411. Enjoy the long weekend!

New shoes include clogs, Mary Janes, sandals, slip-ons and sling-backs; some with patented designs of your children’s favorite TV personalities: Dora the Explorer, Toy Story, Cars and Spongebob.

OLLY Shoes is another family brand that began with one mom’s desire to find shoes that fit her kids properly — ranging in all ages from infant to age seven. Since 2001 the brand has created infant, toddler and youth shoes, apparel and accessories. They even have a School Shoe Program that gives a discount on shoes to parents, or a percentage of sales back to schools to assist in funding various programs.

Other earth-friendly footwear options include KEEN — footwear, socks and bags — that celebrate a “HybridLife.” For a sportier variety, Columbia has everything you need for your little one’s closets.

Kimberley Becker of Raising Twins highlights helpful ways of dealing with tantrums as they occur (depending on the “where”) and her own explanations as to why kids fall into tantrums in the first place.

Young children between one and two are learning about their world, and how they fit into it. They can certainly communicate in some ways with their families, although they do have a limited vocabulary. Their motor skills are developing quickly, they are into everything, but they lack the understanding for things like ‘danger’ and how to behave in an acceptable way. They simply react to things at this age.

They do not understand ownership or sharing, why clean is better than dirty, and why they can’t always have what they want- when they want it. So, when situations arise where they can’t have what they want, or they are unable to explain to you what they want or need – their frustration boils over into a tantrum, a loud, sometimes violent or aggressive display of temper.

You’ve Got Your Hands Full provides some ways to cope with these situations: stay calm but firm in your parenting; be reasonable and fair; don’t be bothered by people’s stares or comments. You might not be able to prevent tantrums altogether, but there are tools to keep handy that may help you limit them, or your kids’ reactions to particular things. The beloved Super Nanny recommends choices, choices and more choices.

Giving a choice is a very effective tool that can prevent tantrums from even beginning. It’s helpful as a method to move your child in the direction you need him going, without having to deal with him digging in his heels. How this works is simple. Replace direct commands, such as, “Put on your pyjamas right now,” (which often triggers a battle) with a choice that propels your child forward, such as, “What do you want to do first, put on your pajamas or brush your teeth?” or “Do you want to hop to the bathroom like a bunny or crawl like a puppy?”

It’s true, you want to keep the peace in the household. But you also want to know why and how to prevent future outbursts, and really tune into what your child might be looking for. And yes, it may simply be a new Lego that you don’t want them to have. But covering your bases and understanding the emotion behind the tantrum will help your family in the long run.

For more strategies on preventing temper tantrums, read up on these triggers and prevention tactics.

Aside from just learning how to be in the water, it’s paramount that our twins learn how to feel comfortable in it. Panic, tears and anxiety in water can escalate fast in young ones, but the right tools can keep them (and you) calm.

The Times Herald recently published a piece on the topic and the resources of one family’s local YMCA. Mom Dana VanDrew and her twins use the “Y” to take swim classes that allow parent-child interaction in the pool.

“What the class really is, is it’s just meant to be fun and create a positive environment in the water for these kids,” said Lauren Buck, the Y’s Swim Lesson Coordinator. “We get them in the water with their mom and dad, and we sing song and do some jumps.“We put them on their back, on their stomach, have them kick their legs and put their head under water.”

In addition to your neighborhood YMCA, you can find swimming lessons, instructors and schools by state at SwimLessons.com or Infant Swim Self Rescue, with lessons for kids up to six years of age.

Love the sea water? Brush up your beach safety before hitting the sand.

HuffPost: Healthy Living offers some great tips for getting through this “holiday” in relatively drama-free fashion with your kids: focus on one area at a time; toss items you don’t need (be honest!); listen to music while cleaning; separate clothes from other “stuff”; enlist help; plan a garage sale with all the throw-away or to-donate items (another great activity to do with the twins); treat yourselves when you’re all finished! If the kids have a little incentive to tidy up, we guarantee you’ll cut out a little time from the chore.

Another way to get the kids interested, is to hand over the iPad. Next month, Azawhistle Kids is coming out with a phone application that inspires kids to enjoy cleaning their rooms (specifically those at the pre-school age, but the principles still work for the older kids).

For more on this “holiday” click here or get tips on how to get the kids to clean up any day of the year.