Twice the Blessing, Twice the Fun: Raising Twins with Joyce Lum
Every month, we want to feature a GoBe parent and their story. This month, we are excited to introduce you to Joyce Lum: a Birkenstocks’ sandals collector, Peloton Bike rider, expert recipe improviser, and mother of energetic fraternal twins. Joyce is our go-to gal for all things that come in pairs. Born and raised in Beaverton, Oregon, Joyce enjoys taking advantage of the beautiful summers by planning day-trips to the park with her little ones to soak up some of that hard-to-come-by vitamin D that they miss all winter long!
Her twins - Madison and Kobe who are 4 years old - never fail to challenge her (and each other!). Joyce constantly finds herself playing referee between the two during competitions and arguments, but she also admires their unique connection that she describes as something only twins can experience. She recently discovered that her twins have their own language and she often has one of the kids “translate” what the other one meant.
“We were driving and out of nowhere my daughter said “breakanese”. I couldn’t quite understand her, so I asked her to repeat herself. I asked if she meant bricks or Chinese. My husband couldn’t decipher the word either. I asked my son if he knew what she was trying to say, and he said “balcony”. She confirmed that’s what she was saying which makes sense because there were balconies at the apartment buildings we passed. I busted out laughing so hard. I guess it’s true– twins have their own language and can understand each other,” Joyce recalled during the interview.
Joyce started her blog, Life with Twins: Double the Love, to document her experiences and to shed light on important topics like infertility and motherhood. The blog takes a deeply personal, journal-style approach in hopes to make one less person feel alone.
“I wanted the followers who knew me on a personal level to stay up to date on how I was doing, and I also wanted to shed light on infertility to those who needed it. No two infertility journeys are ever the same,” she explained.
Being a first-time mother always comes with its challenges, and being a first-time mother of twins only steepens that learning curve. With an exhaustive, never-ending to-do list and not nearly enough hours in a day, Joyce quickly found herself burnt out.
“The twins arrived early at 30 weeks and 6 days, and they had a long road ahead of them. I visited them everyday in the NICU while I was still in recovery mode myself, and spent countless hours learning how to take care of them with the assistance of some amazing nurses. I ended up sleeping in the NICU for the last 7 weeks of their stay so I could exclusively breastfeed them.”
It wasn’t until the twins were about three years old that Joyce realized that the best way to take care of her little ones was by taking care of herself. She invested in a Peloton bike, and hasn’t looked back since! Keeping a healthy mind and heart while parenting is something she’s passionate about, and looking at herself through a silly, goofy lens has allowed her to slow down and enjoy the miracle of motherhood with her little ones. Kindness to yourself and to others is a lesson she consistently prioritizes teaching her little Mickey and Minnie, and she hopes that they carry this wisdom with them as they get older.
“There’s never too much kindness in this world. You never know what story someone is living through,” Joyce emphasized.
Joyce has become a well-seasoned pro at meal-time, artistically improvising with new ingredient and flavor combinations and trusting her skills to deliver in the end. Her favorite recipes she’s made so far are the delicious and easy broccoli cheddar rice patties, savory shrimp turkey patties, and a sweet, honey-garlicky tofu.
“As long as the twins fill their hungry tummies, then I’m happy!”, she exclaimed.
Meal-time is a great way to spend quality time with family, and there’s nothing more fulfilling than combining family and food!
At the end of the day, she’s proud of her journey as a mother and as a human being. She’s learned that it's okay to ask for help when you need it, and that there’s no such thing as a bad question.
“Motherhood is a humbling, raw, bittersweet, messy, and rewarding experience. I have learned that motherhood is all about taking risks through the stages of my twins. It’s important that I listen to their needs, respect their feelings, and set boundaries.”
Currently, Joyce is a stay-at-home mom whose goal is to be there and support her twins every step of the way. She’s made a promise to herself to “keep her eyes on the prize” throughout her fitness, career, and motherhood journeys, and is never afraid to put in the hard work necessary to achieve her goals. Watching her twins grow and blossom under her care is the most rewarding experience, and she’s excited to see what comes next!
Joyce, thank you for sharing your story. We enjoyed interviewing you for this amazing, inspirational piece.
We can’t wait to see what the future holds and all the ways the next GoBe Mom will inspire, challenge, and inform our understanding of motherhood! No matter what your motherhood journey looks like, you are doing a wonderful job and we are so grateful to be a part of this miraculous experience.
- Sofia, from the GoBe Team
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