The Invisible Life of Us Welcome to the joyous, messy, colourful world of parenting kids with additional needs

The surprises, challenges and sheer delight of parenting twins with additional needs Kate Jones and Mandy Hose have experienced the highs and lows of parenting – and they wouldn’t change a thing. The pair met a decade ago and bonded over their premature twins with additional needs, and their remarkable capacity for love, laughter and swearing like a trooper. As the mothers grew closer, however, they confided that they felt ‘on-the-floor lonely’ sometimes because nobody was talking about what life was like for families like theirs. It was time to give their community a voice. So began Too Peas in a Podcast, a weekly conversation in which the two friends discuss the surprises, the challenges and the joys of parenting twins with additional needs. It was meant to support other multiple-birth mums and mums of kids with disabilities, but they were shocked to discover therapists, doctors, nurses, teachers, even people without kids were also listening. Now, Kate and Mandy are sharing their story on the page, delving deeper into the issues they care about and offering reassurance for those navigating a child’s disability.

Mandy Hose is a sleep, settling and behavioural consultant for children up to five years of age. She has three children and lives in Victoria. Kate Jones is a stylist who runs her own home staging business called Instant Impression. She has five children, including identical twin boys who were her inspiration for starting the Too Peas.