An interview with... Lisa Hanson & Heather Kempskie Identical twins and authors of The Siblings' Busy Book

Lisa & Heather:   We're moms and we're also identical twin sisters who believe the sibling relationship is one of most significant ones any person will have in their lifetime. There isn't much we haven't experienced together – including the births of our own children. Our first-borns are five months apart and our youngest are three weeks apart. We both love to read and had every book known to mankind that discussed the subjects of caring for babies but we found very little on the bookshelves on the topic of sibling fun.

Shortly after our second children were born, we found ourselves scouring through books trying to find ways to entertain our multiage children while creating those very important sibling bonds. Needless to say, we didn't find one so we set out to write it! Our four children were with us for every moment serving as our daily inspiration! Our professional experiences also played a big part in the book. Lisa has a masters in Creative Arts and Heather is the editor of the award-winning Parents & Kids magazine.
 
Double Up Books:  As identical twins, what things did you do as kids to keep yourselves busy and were any of them an inspiration for the activities included in your book?

Lisa & Heather:  It's funny to admit but a good amount of the activities are results of what we enjoyed as children and what our children enjoy doing now. We all really love the activities in the Let's Pretend chapter. As children we used to set up a pretend library, a camping site or a grocery store and we would play for a long stretch. Now our children enjoy it just as much!
 
Double Up Books:  What I really liked about The Siblings' Busy Book is that the items needed to do the activities were all normal things that one would find around the house, was that an important part of creating these activities?

Lisa & Heather:   Being a parent or a caregiver is a demanding job that often requires spontaneous distraction and fun. We designed the book all the way down to its portable size to be picked up and used on the spot.  This is why most of the materials will be found in your home and do not require special trips to the store.

Double Up Books:  Do you each have a favorite activity?

Lisa & Heather:  The biggest hit in (Lisa's) house has been the Royal Birthday Throne in the chapter Team Family. The night before a family member's birthday we all gather to decorate the chair he/she will sit on the next day. We put a lot of thought into what we hang on it including the birthday child's favorite colors and such. It makes each person feel so special when they wake up to see their chair! 
 
(Heather's) family loves everything in the Let's pretend chapter. We've been known to play at our pretend camp site for hours. Of course, this is a game I played as a kid. I love sharing it with mine now.

Double Up Books:  The common theme throughout the book is the importance of spending time with our family.  How has doing these activities together strengthened your families?

Lisa & Heather:  The activities in this book have provided opportunities for each of the children to learn from one another, play with another and to admire one another's ideas. Because there is no theme of winning or losing or being older or smarter everyone feels appreciated for what they bring to the family!

Double Up Books:  Do you have a website or blog were readers can learn more about the book or about the both of you?

Lisa & Heather:  Yes, we do.  Readers can visit www.busybookseries.wordpress.com to learn about our book and get great tips.