I signed up for a month-long, email-based writing course from Cole Schafer of Sticky Notes, Honey Copy, and Chasing Hemingway fame.

He sends a lesson and prompt every day. I have 10 minutes to read and consider the prompt, 40 minutes to write, and 10 minutes to edit before posting publicly.

I’m posting here to not drown my Casey's Notes content. On to day 4...

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Sometimes you find life's sticky situations. Sometimes life's sticky situations find you. Learning that your wife is pregnant with twins, with no fertility "help" and no twins in the genes, is an example of the latter.

Today's prompt from Cole is to create a list of rules to help others get out of a sticky situation you've been in.

Here are my 10 rules for surviving the first few months of twins, which is going to feel like Navy SEALs' Hell Week, just a lot longer:

1. Sleep when you can.
2. Shower when you can. And it's okay to cry while you're in there.
3. Everyone thinks they know how to raise your kids. They don't, especially when they don't have twins.
4. For the sanity of all involved, stay on a schedule.
5. They eat on the same schedule. They sleep on the same schedule.
6. Celebrate every single win, even the small ones.
7. Find at least one moment every day to laugh. It'll usually be at the kids' expense and that's okay.
8. Get out on a date night as soon and as often as possible. The kids will be fine.
9. Challenge your spouse to diaper-changing and bottle-making contests. I guess I'm saying have fun and keep things light.
10. Sleep when you can.