Being plus-sized and pregnant doesn't mean you need to wear miu-miu dresses and tops, hide in oversized tunics and t-shirts, and shy away from flaunting your figure. Plus-size moms-to-be can be just as stylish and trendy as their thinner counterparts because looking great has nothing to do with your weight!

Pregnancy is a great time to become more comfortable with your body and wear clothes that flatter you. In order to wear the latest styles and trends, you'll need to invest in some quality clothing that accommodate for your growing body. Here's what you need to know:

1. Stick with Lycra and knit tops. You need clothes that will stretch and conform to your changing body shape, not clothes that will constrict you or hug you too tight. Choose knit tops that are made with Lycra so you can enjoy the benefits of stretch fibers throughout your term.

2. Shop the maternity line, even in the plus-size section. It can be tempting to just go up a few sizes when shopping for maternity clothes, but you won't fit into these pieces of clothing properly. Shopping for maternity clothes in the plus-size section ensures that your clothes will fit you properly and accommodate your growing belly.

3. Get fitted for your pants and skirts. If you're unsure about the size you should wear for pants and skirts, get fitted by a tailor so you truly are wearing the right size. Once you know your size, you can purchase pants and skirts from the maternity department, because these are made with elastic waists and will accommodate baby bumps with ease.

4. Wear empire-waist tops and dresses for special occasions. Empire-waist tops and dresses are ideal for the pregnant woman because they emphasize your natural waistline and don't cinch or pinch around your baby bump. Look for these styles when shopping the special occasion section of the plus size department.

5. Wear larger prints and patterns to complement your figure. Wearing bold and large prints will complement your larger figure better than teeny-tiny flower prints and other delicate patterns. Look for these prints in either your top or your bottoms for a figure-flattering look.

Being the parent of multiples means that your parenting responsibilities are multiplied by the number of kids you have. When your multiples are babies you have two, three or four times the diapers, bottles and clothing changes as you would if you had only one baby, and as your multiples grow, your responsibilities only increase. One of the issues that you are bound to have to deal with is homework. Homework issues can range from just getting your multiples to do it to helping your multiples overcome learning disabilities.

Getting Homework Done
One problem that most parents have to deal with is getting their kids to complete their homework. Most kids are going to procrastinate and wait until the last minute to start their homework and complete assigned projects. While you can get by with this strategy, it puts a lot of stress on your kids and reduces the amount of knowledge that they are able to retain.

You can help your multiples be better students and more relaxed by setting up a homework schedule. It is best to get homework done as soon as your multiples get home from school. It is also better if they distribute large projects and studying over several study or work sessions. This makes larger projects more manageable and studying more effective for long term retention.

Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities come in several varieties. Some learning disabilities are mild and only require a few modifications to study habits, while other learning disabilities are severe and require lifestyle and environmental changes. If one or all of your multiples are having ongoing problems with their academic progress, it is a good idea to talk to your pediatrician or to your kids' school about screening them for learning disabilities. Once the problem has been identified, a strategy can be developed to help your kids to regain control of their learning.

The most common learning disabilities are going to include cognitive delays and dyslexia. Both of these conditions can be overcome by supplementing classroom education with one-on-one tutoring and assistance, as well as by learning new ways to approach homework. Your school can be a great source of information on how to help your multiples overcome their learning disabilities, as can child development centers.

Sometimes as a parent it is easy to only respond to the kids when they are doing something wrong. When you have multiples, your mind is so busy trying to keep up with the demands of work, home and multiple kids that you sometimes forget that it is also important to respond to the kids when they do something good. Now is the time to change your reinforcement strategy. For the next week try responding to what your multiples do that is right, sweet or good.

Time Your Rewards and Praise Properly
The first thing that you need to know about praise and offering rewards for doing something well is that your timing needs to be strategic. If you offer to give a reward in exchange for a specific behavior beforehand then that is considered bribery and not a reinforcement of a good behavior. This means that in order to be effective at encouraging the behavior again you need to hold off on offering your praise and rewards until after the behavior has been done.

Reward Sparingly
While it seems like pop culture for parents requires that you give your multiples a treat or reward after everything that they do right, this is not the best parenting strategy. In order to make rewards special, you need to use them sparingly. This will make really big accomplishments special. For example, a time when you don't want to offer a reward is after your multiples walk into the house without throwing a temper tantrum. A good time to offer a reward is after they finally use the potty by themselves.

Phrasing Your Praise
While offering a physical reward for everything that a child does right is not a good idea, offering your praise more frequently is a good idea. However, it is important that you be specific with the phrasing of your praise. For example, a simple "good job" is less effective than saying "you did a good job putting away your clothes." Being specific about what you liked about the behavior will help to clarify your approval and help your child realize that you are paying attention to what they are doing.

Today reading is the most important academic skill that your multiples can develop. Reading is required to do nearly everything in life from finding employment to finding your way through traffic. While reading skills are taught in school, you can enhance your multiples' ability to read by making reading a family value.

Family Reading Activities
Family reading activities are a great way to get your multiples excited about reading, as well as to reinforce the notion that your family values reading. Both of these things will help your multiples to develop a passion for the written language. Family reading activities include things like reading stories together and playing games that require reading. As your multiples learn how to read, you can take turns reading and listening.

Word/Picture Pairing
If you want to jump start your multiples' reading education, consider posting word cards under objects in your home. This is a common exercise for people trying to learn a second language, however, it works just as well when learning your first. You may want to start with basic items that your multiples use everyday like the refrigerator, doors, walls, chairs, booster seats, pictures, bookshelves and potty chairs. You can also focus your labeling activities on specific types of items such as clothing, rooms, animals, people and food.

Real World Reading Experiences
Another great activity that requires no preparation work is to simply read the signs that are already posted in the real world. You can take your multiples for a walk and read the signs that you come across such as "Stop," "Don't Walk," "Walk" and various street names. As your multiples learn to read, you can start to read more complex signs, such as those posted at historical points, landmarks and even in elevators.

Family Spelling Bees
Since spelling is a part of reading, it is important that you work spelling into your reading activities. For example, you can hold family spelling bees using your multiples' vocabulary words from school or you can make up your own list based on the words that you have been working on together. These spelling bees will help develop both spelling and reading skills as you take turns giving words to spell and spelling words.

During the winter months it is difficult to keep the kids busy, especially when the weather makes it impossible for them to go outside to play. On these particularly wintery days you need to have a few standby activities that will keep your multiples entertained. These activities include things like games, science projects and even learning how to do things around the house.

Card Games for Wintery Days
Some of the easiest winter day activities to put together are card games. Card games are great because they are inexpensive, appropriate for all age levels and teach various skills. Young kids can play card games like go fish and memory, while older kids will enjoy learning more mature games like Hearts, Solitaire, Blackjack and even Poker. All of these games teach you special skills such as matching, strategizing, counting and calculating odds.

Playing Dress Up
Another quick activity that you can pull together for a winter game is dress up. Dress up is fun, and all you need is a basket, a pile of old clothes and accessories and a little imagination. For this game you can let your multiples rummage through the basket and put together an outfit.

Cooking and Baking
If your multiples are really bored, let them help you make a treat in the kitchen. Young kids can help you with the measuring and mixing of the goodies, while older kids can move on to helping with the chopping and cooking. This activity not only teaches your kids how to cook, but it also rewards their efforts with a tasty snack.

Science Experiments
Another indoor activity that can be a lot of fun is a science experiment. There are a lot of science experiments that you can conduct with every day household products. For example, you can create a chemical reaction by mixing vinegar and baking soda, or you can even grow your own salt or borax crystals. Instructions for these simple projects can be found online, or you can pick up science experiment kits at your local science or toy store.

The world that we live in is multicultural, and the school and work environment that your multiples will need to function in will be multicultural. Appreciation for diversity is one of the gifts that you can give to your kids to help them develop. This appreciation will need to include a curiosity about others' cultures, a tolerance of differences and a desire to learn about different cultures and traditions.

Tip No. 1 - Culturally Diverse Storybooks, Games and Videos
The first way you can introduce the concept of other cultures to your multiples is to include culturally diverse storybooks, games and videos into your media collection. You can get these items from your local public library, book stores and education stores. The Internet is also a treasure trove of downloadable educational materials about the cultures of the world. However, before you let your multiples use these materials, read through them or watch them to make sure the messages being transmitted are positive and accurate.

Tip No. 2 - Learn a New Language
Another fun and valuable activity that you can do with your multiples is to learn a new language together. You can pick up language courses for kids at bookstores and your public library. You can also download learning materials from the Internet. Talk with your multiples to see if there is a language that they would like to learn, or suggest that you all learn a language that was used by your ancestors. For example, if you are from Korean descendants, you could learn basic Korean.

Tip No. 3 - Live a New Culture
While reading about other cultures is interesting, it really doesn't allow your kids to experience that culture. There are several learning activities that you can do with your multiples that will help them better understand other cultures. For example, you can visit a neighborhood that is an ethnic center for a specific culture, or you can have a culture day in your house where you dress up in traditional clothing of the culture and prepare traditional dishes. You can also listen to music and attend cultural festivals to learn more about a specific culture.

Tip No. 4 - Travel
Immersion in a different culture is one of the best ways to learn about and understand another culture. If possible, plan a vacation to a country that has a culture that is different than your own. See how the people live, what they eat, what makes them happy, what challenges they face and what strengths they have. Allow your multiples to explore their museums, tourist attractions and natural wonders.

Changing diapers, housework, carpools, going to work, paying bills, fixing dinner, reading storybooks, giving baths and generally running around like a madman or madwomen comes with the territory of being the parents of multiples. However, sometimes the endless list of things to do can lead to an overload. When you get frustrated, everything that happens seems to be exaggerated in your mind. When something goes wrong ,it seems like the end of the world, and when the kids act out even a little, it seems like they are tearing the house apart. Frustration is a natural feeling to have as a parent, and fortunately there are ways to manage this frustration so that it doesn't manage you.

Deal With One Thing at a Time
Frustration is often a byproduct of having a million things to do and only 24 hours in a day to do them. When you get overwhelmed with all of the things that you have to do, don't try to multitask. Instead, prioritize your to-do list and deal with one thing at a time. For example, you can put a load of clothes in the washing machine, make dinner, and then switch the clothes to the dryer, etc., until your list is complete. This will actually help you complete your list faster, and you will do a better job at each task.

Give Yourself a Time Out
Another cause of frustration is simply being overworked and overtired. If you feel that your frustration is taking over your mood, give yourself a time out. Have your partner watch the kids for 15 minutes while you walk around the block, go for a quick drive or just sit in a quiet room relaxing. This time will help you regain control of your emotions and will recharge you for the rest of the day.

Get Rest When You Need It
When you haven't had enough sleep, everything seems worse than it actually is. It is because of this that you are cranky and snippy when you don't get the sleep that you need. Having multiples means you don't get a lot of sleep, especially during the first couple of years. However, if you are feeling run down, you need to make arrangements so you can sleep in once in a while or catch up on the sleep that your body needs. This may mean switching with your parenting partner every other weekend so you each can sleep in at least twice a month. It may not seem like much, but getting a couple of extra hours of sleep can make a big difference in your energy level and outlook on life.

Being a parent of multiples is a challenge, especially if this is your first parenting experience. One of the issues that parents have to face as their kids get older is discipline. It seems like every parenting magazine and book offers some type of advice on how to properly discipline kids, however, they rarely seem to agree. If you are facing discipline problems with your multiples, there are some effective methods of discipline that teach your children how to control their behavior in a positive manner.

Tip No. 1: Boundaries and Structure
The key to well-behaved kids is to provide them a home environment that is well-structured and has boundaries. This system of rules and expectations will help guide their behavioral development and keep them from developing negative behavior habits such as being disrespectful to adults or being aggressive toward other children.

Tip No. 2: Consistency Is Key
In order to keep your multiples on the right track, you need to be consistent with both your rules and your punishments. Your multiples are naturally going to test their boundaries as they get older to see what they can get away with. If you fail to punish a negative behavior even once, it can lead to weeks, if not months, of repeated offenses. Consistency is hard to maintain for parents, as it makes you feel like the bad guy, but it is important for the emotional health of your multiples and the functionality of your family.

Tip No. 3: Provide Emotional Support
While punishments always seem to be the first thing that parents think of when they think of discipline, emotional support is another factor that parents need to incorporate into their parenting strategies as well.

Growing up is hard to do. You don't understand a lot of what is going on or why you have to follow certain rules, you are continuously told what to do, and you have to face your fears of the unknown on a daily basis. All of these stressors can lead to "bad" behavior. However, parents need to identify when the behavior problems are caused by frustration or fear and when they are caused by a child testing their boundaries or willfully breaking the rules, such as not putting away their clothes.

When you can tell that the problem is because the child is afraid of something or frustrated with something, the parent needs to offer emotional support. For example, they can talk with their child about what's going on in their life that is frustrating them, they can give them a hug and comfort them or they can take time out of their schedule to spend extra time with their child to relax and have fun together.

As your multiples switch from liquid to solid foods it is important that you establish a healthy eating routine for them. This means starting with vegetables and savory foods, and then moving on to sweeter foods like fruits. However, even when you do everything right, your multiples are going to develop food preferences. These preferences, if not challenged occasionally, can lead your multiples to finicky eating habits that will limit the type of nutrition they get into their systems and that will also limit their enjoyment of meal time. The following tips will help you to keep your multiples' minds open to the possibility of trying new and interesting foods.

Try New Foods First, Before Moving on to Favorites
One way that you can ensure that your multiples will at least try new foods is to have a mealtime rule that requires them to at least taste the new food once before they move on to their favorite foods. This will encourage them to try new food and at least take a bite or two of foods that may be on their yucky list.

Understand Food Aversions
While it is easy to say, "Clean your plate or you don't get dessert," there are valid reasons why kids don't eat some foods. For example, the texture could be unpleasant, the food could make them feel queasy, or they could simply not like the flavor of the food. Having a valid reason for not eating a certain food is different from just not wanting to try a new food. Food aversions can make eating certain foods difficult, if not impossible for your multiples. In these cases, you are better off finding a food with equal nutritional value that they do like to eat to replace the food that they have the aversion to.

Be Sneaky with Your Ingredients
One of the reasons why kids don't try some food is because they have developed a habit of not trying new foods. You can get around this problem by pairing new ingredients with ingredients the child is used to and that they like. For example, you can get more vegetables into your multiples' diets by mixing a can of vegetable soup with pizza sauce, spreading the combo on a pizza crust and topping it with cheese. You can also have theme nights where you select foods that correspond with a story your multiples like to read, foods that have the same color as their favorite outfit, or foods that start with a certain letter. Being creative will make trying new foods more fun.

The cold season can be a difficult time of year when you have kids, and particularly difficult if you have multiples. Cold and flu symptoms can make your multiples miserable and irritable, and keep you from getting a decent night's sleep. Fortunately, there are many steps that you can take to keep your multiples from catching a cold this flu and cold season.

Cold Season Tip No. 1: Make Hand Washing a Part of the Routine
The best way to cut down on the number of colds that your multiples catch this cold and flu season is to make washing hands a part of the household's routine. To be effective, everyone in the house needs to wash their hands when they come into the house, after they use the bathroom and before eating. If your multiples are too short to reach the bathroom sink, pick up a step stool that they can stand on. Also have a soap dispenser near the facet so that your kids don't have to search for soap to wash their hands.

Cold Season Tip No. 2: Dress Your Multiples in Layers
Another way to help protect your multiples from getting a cold is to dress them in layers. Layering shirts and outerwear will allow them to adjust their clothing as they are exposed to different temperatures and weather conditions. This will keep their core body temperature constant and help protect them from getting the chills.

Cold Season Tip No. 3: Feed Your Multiples High-Quality Food
Nutrition is key to children's health. Feed your multiples foods that are high in vitamin C and antioxidants. Also try to find foods that have Omega 3 fatty acids, like salmon and flax seed oil. Finally, make sure your multiples are properly hydrated. Try to avoid sodas and sugary drinks. Instead offer sugar-free juices, water and low-fat milk.

Cold Season Tip No. 4: Limit Exposure to People That Are Sick
One of the hazards of having multiples is that when one child gets sick, the others inevitably get the same bug. You can avoid passing around the cold bug by setting up a quarantine room where the sick person in your house stays while they are sick. This room should be set up to keep them entertained and it should be set up with items you need when you're sick, like a vaporizer and a HEPA air filter.

The sick child's sibling(s) need to be kept out of this room to prevent them from catching the same cold. When you leave this room, you will need to sanitize your hands before touching or interacting with someone else in the house.

Traveling with multiples is a challenge in itself, especially when you have multiples that are still toddlers or babies. The key to reducing stress when you travel with your multiples is to plan ahead and have everything at hand when you need it. Fortunately, it is easy to plan ahead for the extra things that you will need to keep your multiples happy on your next vacation.

Tip No. 1: Special Accommodations
The first thing that you will want to do when planning a family vacation is contact the theme parks, hotels and other attractions that you are going to visit. You will want to ask them if they have things like multiple-child strollers, babysitting services and other special services for people with kids or special services for people with multiples.

Tip No. 2: Have Entertainment Ready
One of the problems of traveling with kids of any age is that they act up when they get bored. The best way to keep your multiples happy on a long trip is to have various activities on hand to dole out when they start to get bored such as coloring books, story books, plush toys and videos. Having snacks and beverages on hand is also a good idea, as meltdowns can occur in response hunger.

Tip No. 3: Packing Strategies
When packing for your vacation, you need to conserve as much space as possible. If you are planning an extra long vacation, consider shipping bulkier items to your hotel or vacation house ahead of time so you don't have to haul them with you. To make sure you have a change of clothes for each multiple with you at all times, you will want to pack one outfit in your child's carryon. In your main luggage, you will pack the items your kids will need on their vacation such as shirts, shoes, socks and underwear. Since many airlines are now charging fees for each piece of checked luggage, divide a single suitcase into sections and place each multiple's clothing in their labeled section.

If you are expecting multiples right now, you probably have a lot of concerns and thoughts on your mind. While you may be thinking about how you will be able to handle feeding, bathing and diapering multiple babies at the same time, it is a good idea to stop for a moment and catch your breath. To make dealing with the prospects of becoming the parents of multiples more manageable and less stressful, take things one step at a time. To start with, think about the basic items you will need to handle the first month of your multiples' lives.

Furniture
Many parents of multiples find that putting twins in the same crib works well. They keep each other company, and this can actually help to reduce the babies' initial anxiety about sleeping outside the womb. When selecting a crib or cribs, you will want to look for a crib that is sturdy, that has a locking rail system and that has slats that are not too widely spaced. If you are looking to save money in the long run, also look for a crib that can be converted into a toddler bed.

Baby Supplies
One of the biggest surprises of being the parents of multiples is the sheer volume of stuff that you need. You will need a healthy supply of bottles, pacifiers, bottle cleaners, washrags, towels, baby shampoo, baby wipes, diapers, diaper pales, diaper rash ointment or cream, toys and grooming equipment. As you can see, the more babies you are expecting, the more of these items you will need to stock up on before the little ones arrive.

Baby Clothes
The first month of your multiples' lives is going to be difficult. Many multiples are born premature so they may spend several weeks in the hospital before you are allowed to take them home. However, when you do get to bring them home, they most likely will still be very small. To get through the first few weeks at home you will need extra-small baby clothes and diapers, such as preemie onesies, socks, baby shoes and jumpers.

Having multiples means there are a lot of things you have to do in twos or threes. However, one of the advantages of having twins, triplets, quads or quints is that you can throw one birthday party for the set. While this saves you some hassle and simplifies things a bit, it is still important that each child is treated specially on their birthday. Fortunately, there are several ways you can make a joint birthday party a special event for each of your multiples.

Separate Birthday Cakes
To ensure that each of your multiples has a unique birthday experience provide each one with their own cake. You don't have to buy two or three luxury, character cakes for the birthday party if you don't want to, after all a cake per child can add up to a lot of cake. Instead, you can make a personal-size character cake for each child and then have a larger party cake for the guests. This way, each multiple will get to blow out the candles on their own cake and pick the design and character that they want for their cake.

Separate Guest Lists
While it is likely that your multiples will have some of the same friends that they will want to invite to their birthday parties, if you are having a sleepover or a small party with only a few special guests, each multiple will likely invite their best friend(s) from school. If this is the case, you can provide each multiple's guest with a special colored t-shirt that corresponds to the color of shirt worn by the birthday boy or girl that invited them. You can then use this color team philosophy to play party games.

Special Presents
While many parents of multiples give their multiples the same gift on their birthday, it is important that you make each child's gift unique in some way. For example, you may buy each the same type of shirt, but each child gets that design in a different color. Try to consider the preferences of each child in the gift selection process. When they get older, you can provide them with a gift card to their favorite store and allow them to shop for what they want. You can even make the shopping experience part of the birthday celebration fun.

Seasons are changing and soon cold weather will replace the mild temperatures and conditions associated with early fall. As the temperature drops, your multiples will need warmer jackets, hats, gloves, boots, rain gear and other pieces of cold weather gear. The more children you have, the larger the pile of outdoor gear and clothing accumulating at your door. This can be cumbersome and unsightly, but also add minutes to your early morning routine. To avoid all of the problems associated with winter wear clutter, you need to get organized. Fortunately, it is easy to do.

Organizing Your Multiples' Winter Gear: Personal Baskets
The first way you can keep the clutter near the door down to a minimum is to buy each of your children their own outerwear baskets. These baskets can be plastic mesh baskets, wicker baskets or metal baskets. The key is to buy a container that is large enough to hold things like gloves, hats, scarves and other small pieces of outerwear clothing. On the outside of each basket, label it with the name of one of your kids. Then push the basket up against the wall so that your kids can find their basket quickly. To make the baskets more personal, buy each multiple a different color basket.

Organizing Your Multiples' Winter Gear: Footwear Storage
Boots and shoes can quickly clutter an entryway during the winter months, especially when you have multiples. To keep the clutter down to a minimum, and to help keep everyone's footwear organized, you need to set up a footwear station. This can be as easy as taping squares on the floor and labeling them with each child's name, or you can line up wooden cubicles along the wall and assign one space to each person in your family.

Organizing Your Multiples' Winter Gear: Coats and Snow pants
One reason why small kids don't hang up their coats and winter outerwear is that they can't reach the hangers. To make hanging up their coats and snow pants easy to do, all you have to do is install a coat hanger low enough for them to reach. You can use individual hangers or you can install a coat rack. Again you will want to create a label with each child's name on it and place it next to their assigned coat hanger.

All parents need to worry about safety. However, when you are the parents of multiples your safety concerns are double, tripled or quadrupled. Because of this, you need to take extra steps to keep your home safe, and you need to implement different safety strategies to keep all of your multiples safe from harm.

Safety Tips for Parents of Multiples No. 1: Electricity Safety

One of the biggest hazards in your home is electricity. Electrical devices and outlets are found throughout your home, and they are necessary parts of modern life. Some of the steps you can take to safety proof the electrical devices in your home are inserting outlet plugs in outlets not in use, taping down electrical cords and keeping all outlets barricaded with furniture.

Safety Tips for Parents of Multiples No. 2: Daily Safety Proofing

Because things in your home are moved around on a daily basis, you need to search for safety hazards on a daily basis. The best way to do this is to get down to your children's eye level and scan your home for safety hazards. You will be surprised how many hazards you can find like open drawers, uncovered outlets, small toys and sharp corners. Make it a point to conduct a safety check each morning before your multiples wake up or each evening after your multiples have gone to bed.

Safety Tips for Parents of Multiples No. 3: Safety Is a Team Sport

One of the challenges of being a parent of multiples is keeping the multiples from dividing your attention when you are trying to keep them out of trouble. It is inevitable when you are dealing with the crisis of one multiple, the other sneaks away to get into a similar predicament. You can keep all your multiples safe by making it a point, at least when they are young, to treat crises as a team sport. If one multiple is injured or gets dirty, then have the other multiples act as your helpers. They can hand you supplies, bring you a change of clothing and throw items away for you. This will not only keep them in your line of sight, but it will teach them about how to treat minor injuries and how to clean up after a minor accident.