Hello 2019 the transition is real

This is our first post for 2019 so Happy New Year to everyone!

This year I did not intend on making any resolutions but if you read our previous post you may know that I do believe in reflection to learn and manifest better for the years to come.

As fun changes are well underway in how we interact on our Site and Social we continue to strive in building this TwinDollicious & co community with products and brands that excite us all.

The new year has brought about a stage of limbo . I say this from a personal standpoint, yet I am sharing 1 takeaway from this moment for any mommas and their babies who may (or may not be for the baby) be ready to stop nursing and move on to the next stage of your bonding experience as a parent.

(Call him Warrior of the mustard seeds)

Trying Almond Milk in the nipple replicated designed bottle: Tommee Tippee

After a complete 7 days of walking around smelling like mustard seed; which I found in our cupboard and decided to put on . I can say that it has been a struggle. This idea of applying something to my little ones supply of comfort and nutrition began to cross my mind a few months ago, but I told myself it wasn’t time. Now as we all know it’s never a perfect time to do anything… well sometimes. However I tried the method of comparing my experience with the twins to mentally compare and prep myself on those terms. You see nursing twins for 2 + years seemed hard , but all children nurse differently. I remember the girls weening easily, then understanding that leche (milk) was going to be done so. However with Bash, the mention of “no more leche” seemed to make him want more. The increase of feedings became harder during the day. There were times when he was so tired and insisted on feeding while I was driving, just to fall asleep which may have led us to this very moment.

(Current Tired mama moment)

At this very moment I believe that I may have slept a total of 18 hours in 7 days. Though he’d rather not have mustard seeds in his mouth, he is having a problem with regulating himself. When tired during the day, he moans or becomes cranky if I am around. When he is with his sitter he is able to catch up on his sleep. Otherwise he is up at all hours of the night, with loads of energy until he knocks himself out because he cannot find the comfort again.

Why do we as humans seek comfort in things? It’s a question I’ve been asking myself as I try to find a way to help this transition become manageable. Does comfort make us complacent? Does it stop us from growing and move out of that stage of limbo?

It’s Q1 of a new year and with the spontaneous decision to be done with nursing I’m open to more spontaneity of crushing goals, & embracing things that I hadn’t plan to tackle yet. – I CHALLENGE you to try it too!

🔑: Though it may be hard try to always smile through those challenges.

As a mom I’m here mentally and physically to help with his transition as well as my own. He is my last little baby and the thought of this change makes it all real. The comfort he seeks I plan to embrace the best way I know….. right now it’s with lots of hugs and kisses

Back to school preparation and style needs

Are you and your kiddos ready to begin the back to school hustle?

We’re holding on to the last bits of summer but are in no way in denial that school will begin very shortly.

There are so many school supply lists with must haves and trends that begin to surface in retailers starting July that we may get a bit confused. It’s always best to abide by the school supply lists (so that’s an easy task conquered) but how do we prepare and make back to school exciting.

I attended a few events in Mid summer to learn about new trends and products that may excite me and the girls for back to school.

– At the mom trends event I discovered this adorable lunch bag and pencil case that would be trendy for the girls… since Unicorns rule their universe right now.

Unicorns for them and Mabel’s Labels for me (kind of) . On my to do list from teachers and to create an easy morning for us Labels are a must on most of their books and supplies.

They loved the Unicorn style and ran with the theme! ✅

Speaking of labels: Epson ecotank printing has an amazing new device that makes it easier to print out your magnificently designed labels. This eliminates the hours of perfect handwriting, with less stress on whether or not you’re running low on ink – let’s just print it!

I couldn’t do a Back to school preparation list without including Vamousse. If you’re not familiar with this brand; you’re welcome for the introduction. Lice is a very scary thing. It’s overwhelming and includes lots of work. We were faced with a scare in Kindergarten. The letter comes home from school that there is a case of love in the class and then the show begins. Before learning about Vamousse, my immediate reaction was to take them to the doctors office.

I couldn’t imagine where I would start. So each year I’ve prepped with rosemary shampoo and peppermint oil, hairspray etc. – I mean have you seen the hair on them x’s 2…. no thank you!

The Vamousse brand not only contains shampoo, conditioner but household products if an outbreak was to occur. They are now our go to for back to school prepping.

Back to school style includes accessories, and necessities! Many teens,tweens or younger children whom parents work late have to use cellphones. It isn’t a must have but if your child does have a device chances are their friends and others will know that they have one. We thought that it would be a great safety feature to collaborate with a company and make finger slider phone holders that are flat and less visible when in their pockets or bags. (One less reason for bullying) Cell phone Finger holders

-The sturdy hold unlike the other distracting holders allows for your other fingers to type or grip the phone better, avoiding chances of falling to the ground.

To piggy back off of the cellphone subject and the many ways that families become busier during he school year; sportsmanship for girls is always a great idea. Now is the time to figure out what extracurricular activities are of interest to them. We love the message thatAthleta girl is spreading and believe whole heartedly that team work will keep the grades up!

Style style and more style!

When choosing a back pack for school durability is first on the list. Yet, once again unicorn🦄 lifestyle has to be in close proximity in order for the girls to get excited about packing those bags with books. We loved the Lands End personalized feature with monogramming and patches. The color Teal won and so did the 🌈 rainbow.

Though their school supply list only includes plain color folders… we couldn’t resist this collaboration with Avery and Amy Tangerine. These special folders were so exciting to them that they’ve decided to use them as their personal journal folders. They plan to carry their lunch books and clean sheets of paper with them to write during lunch… I mean don’t all third graders … ugh 3rd grade 😭

More than likely we will be TwinDollicious-ly twinning in style this year (Shopping haul video to come, you’ll have to watch to see) so thanks to Keds and Rifle Paper co for designing these amazing sneakers. Their new print designs include florals, decor and animals for adults to toddlers just in time for Back to school !

KEDS and RIfle Paper co 💕💕

Disclaimer: This blog post is of personal opinion and review, based on use of products sponsored by the brands.

Summer Road trip to Twinsburg Part I

The best part of traveling includes family and traditions.

We love to visit new places and discover new things; yet we also love to take our traditional road trips to our favorite places to continue building our family memories.

This years trip to Twins day festival was extra special. There seems to be a pattern of it getting better and better each year.

We took a road trip to Twinsburg Ohio in the coolest and safest Mazda CX-9 . The kiddos enjoyed the music and navigation features which let them know how far we were from our destination…..without them asking the infamous “are we there yet?”

As a driver, I enjoyed the room and luxury of my very own space. The 3 row seater vehicle is my favorite now that we have 3 children. The crystal white CX-9 Mazda has made its way to the top of our list, as we are currently on the hunt for a new vehicle coming October. I am always impressed with the safety features on this vehicle and now that we have had the opportunity to test drive the car for a week to one of our favorite place, it’s time to possibly make her one of the family.

Have you ever fallen in love with a vehicle and gave it a gender?

Amongst all the other excitement happening during our week in Twinsburg, V & K witnessed a royal twins wedding!

There’s more to come…. especially if you’re a fan of the TLC network.

Disclosure: this post was created with my personal opinion.

Cool off at these Summer Pop ups

How amazing is the craze of pop up shops?!

Doesn’t it seem like everyone is sharing their photos in these perfectly curated locations? Pop up shops are so popular right now and we are enjoying the amazing talents of designers who create the space as well as the brands they’re dedicated to.

Since summer is the most motivating season to get out and enjoy the weather we visited 2 pop ups that will only be in NYC for the summer.

One is the museum of ice cream’s Pint Shop.

There are walls covered in photo opportunities and skateboards to purchase ( amongst other things) . The girls and Bash couldn’t get enough of the boards; but unfortunately Mr B couldn’t ride so he wasn’t too happy.

However ice cream to the rescue!

Yes there are refrigerators with stacks of frozen one of a kind delectable ice creams for you to purchase. The 7 amazing flavors make it hard to chose but we were strategic and narrowed it down to 2 of our favorites.

Can you guess by this photo ? And the other was chocolate chunk (how can you resist) besides we had to make Bash happy too! “Choco-wit” is his favorite!

After choosing our ice cream, we took advantage of the photo opportunities and went with the Banana setting. Hey ,girls like to chat; even if its with a banana in the ear.

We then headed over to the new pier 17 waterfront location at the south street seaport NYC.

On opening weekend of this pop up music, family fun and food location The amazing artist Geronimo created an installation of colorful balloons along the deck. The ambiance was very close to Ibiza or European waterfront (as close as I’ll be again for the next 8-10years) with music, happy children and adults mingling together on a summer day and night.

– It was an inspiration of color, art, and love! Everyone danced, and enjoyed the opportunity to take photos sharing the new Pier 17 location.

🎼 We highly recommend these locations for an easy summer day in the city !

For More photos and stories

3 HOT NEW products we love from the NY Baby show

This is our 3rd year attending the NY baby show and every year it gets better and better!

This year V & K were well equipped with knowledge on what Bash enjoys, what our audience loves and where to find things that would interest them as well. There is something for everyone to enjoy at this show.

We entered the venue and immediately checked in with our friends from Mom trends at the blogger lounge. We got our map, ate a little lunch; catered by Boston Market and headed out to the floor.

There’s always so much to see and amazing informative panelists speaking about parenthood, secret hacks and new products. We were sure to take a listen in while Twiniversity expert Natalie Diaz took the stage.

We mapped out our day from panelist speaking to the media lounge with the first of our favorite companies Babo Botanicals .

They are creating products that are reef safe. From amazing tinted spf sunscreen to skin cream with ingredients to help you get a handle on your eczema; all with natural delicious scents.

Note: we weren’t the only ones with our day strategically mapped out. There were some 3rd trimester mamas with checklists in their hands. It’s very important to be prepared, when you’re walking a venue this big and fun.

After visiting a few brands in the search of essentials for babies, toddlers and above we were so pleased with Stuck on you ! Our second favorite brand in attendance at the NY Baby Show was an easy selection. With V & K getting ready for summer camp; we needed to a few labeling accessories and boxes for snack. The durable bento box made by Stuck on You is so trendy with his cover designs “unicorns” and more, along with its compartments will make lunch packing easier than ever!

Third on our Lovers list includes something special for nursing moms. The yummy secret behind the recommendation to eat oatmeal and ingredients found in Beer have come together in a delicious cookie recipe by Mommy Knows Best Lactation Cookie Mix ! We ALL tested a cookie and approved the yummy-ness; but validation was approved when milk was present for Bash. Many nursing moms may have tried the two foods or drinks separate for assisting with milk production but a yummy cookie treat can do the quick trick.

–

After a fun day at the NY Baby show we couldn’t wait to share our favorite top 3 hot brands and products we’ve discovered along with the many reasons why the event is for everyone learning and experiencing the joys of parent hood including the kiddos. The top 3 selections were choices and opinions of my own and we hope you’ll consider trying for yourselves.

NYC weekend weather teaser in Style

We’re still waiting for spring to officially arrive here in NYC, but somehow she gave us a peek over the weekend.

Yes it’s April and we’ve passed through spring break so shouldn’t we be well on our way to a forecast view of 60’s and above. Nope, not this year!

We had a little break in the weather and experienced a 77 degrees high Saturday, over the weekend, which was perfect for our agenda. V, K and I were invited to an early Mother’s Day event hosted by Hey Mama and Michele Watch . We were able to preview the amazing new styles of watches and interchangeable bands, perfectly designed for the special mothers in our lives.

K had her eye on one particular style and I’m hoping she shares her thoughts with daddy. Isn’t it great to have little fashionistas with such style, by your side… if you’re lucky in that department we’d love to see in the comments below :)) ⬇️

We would also love to invite your mini to the TwinDollicious and The Fashion class party… we’re we’ll be making awesome backpacks!

Fashion Party / Design contest

V & K both enjoyed the stroll to BobO restaurant located on 10th street – downtown NYC; while sun gazing, chatting. We enjoyed brunch with friends and made new ones…. and couldn’t resist the cotton candy treats and flower wall.

#Twinmamas 💙💕💙💕

Photos: @stevilou

Maybe you need a sleep buddy too

When the time came for V & K to transition into big girl beds and possibly different rooms they made the choice to remain together in the same room. We thought it was a wonderful idea…. perhaps they would keep each other company and be the best sleepers in history. But, of course we were all children once and either we never left our parents bed or we slept well in our own beds at the beginning and eventually ended up with our parents. That is except for a few far and in between.

The girls and Bash have all started out in their own beds. Then it was the stage of potty training where you’d rather them wake in the middle of the night to use the bathroom than to let them sleep with trig pants.

Well, now we’re at the stage of fear of darkness; in which they happen to wake in the middle of the night 3 times a week Times 2. That counts for, you guessed it 6 sleepless nights. We were so excited to learn about the Sleep buddy .

1. Unable to remain in the bed throughout the night

2. Transitioning from crib to bed

3. Co sleeping

4. Ready for independence

When this list matched 2 of our 3 issues I had to invite the Sleep Buddy into our home.

The beautifully boxed package includes:

– a lamp/light with color options blue or yellow.

– a bedtime story about the sleep buddy

– a chart to record and reward successful sleeping night

– smiley face stickers that are great for children to self reward or for watching their progress

I am so pleased with the results. V & K are independently placing the smile face stickers on the chart and shutting their bedroom lights themselves at night.

I also believe that Bash will enjoy using the Sleep buddy sooner than we know. For younger children between the ages 6 months and up; parents enthusiasm will go a long way ! They may not understand the reward system right away but will quickly catch on and enjoy that perfectly dim light at their bedside.

The best option on this amazingly timed night light sleep buddy is the option of dimming the blue light for children with special needs and sensory sensitivities.

We enjoyed documenting V & Ks success so much that we recorded and shared our first night experience with the sleep buddy.

Our video of the experience:

Here

Shopkins Live tour dance party

As huge fans of Shopkins we were super exited to learn that they were Taking their show on a Live tour!

V and K have been collecting these little figures before there was a fashion mall attached to them. What a dream for a fashion girl x’s 2 – I Know

After learning about the story behind the world tour and how the characters

would resemble some of their favorite Shopkins we were excited! What was even more exciting was how close the authenticity of how children may pretend play with their own shopkins at home come to life on stage… we were ready to witness the show !

We were able to catch the ShopKins Live show at the Staten Island St George Theater during their last show In NYC before the show hits the road for Canada. V & K enjoyed watching their favorite shopkins Bubbleisha, Jessicakes, Cocolette, Pirouetta, Polli Polish, Rainbow Kate, PeppaMint, kooky cookie, shady Diva and the show stopper Slick breadstick, just to name a few. While Bash made a new BFF in Apple Blossom, during his dance routine in the aisle.

There is no way for any shopkins lover to remain seated during this amazing show.

The music was an instantaneous dance shaker!

The show had such a great storyline with a perfectly timed intermission that kept you wanting more. What great story doesn’t include a little mystery and excitement; well it was included in the live show!

At the end of the show some lucky kiddos were treated to a dance off to the sounds of the Shopkins Theme music, which then lead to a meet and greet photo opportunity.

V & K were so excited to show Jessi cakes and the gang their glam routine, so they put those Pink Lip purses and TwinDollicious tutus to great use.

Our adventurous Midwinter break staycation

What is a staycation?

Perhaps you’ve heard the term used loosely many a time. This could be because many people have different definitions of what a staycation is. We define a staycation as a time spent at home without obligations, schedules and deadlines just to catch up on things that we’d like to do for fun, maybe time to lounge and sleep in and definitely enjoy the goodness of our city.

In the case of our Twindollicious crew; we made sure to get out and enjoy the Spring teaser weather during our Winter break staycation.

We visited the Brooklyn Botanical gardens for a magical scavenger hunt throughout the gardens. This fun day was hosted by our friends at Mommynearest. The kids were able plant a Paperwhite to take home.. we can’t wait to share the progress and growth :):)

Our next adventure included a Day in Times Square in the heart of the big apple at the NatGeoEncounter ! The kiddos were all able to enjoy an interactive experience of 3D underwater activities along with an opportunity to be on a big Billboard in Timesquare.

V & K also learned a new skill during their vacation; which is so fitting to their personalities. We were given the opportunity to create an animation video provided by Goldfish . The girls create not one but 2 scenes of interactive moving goldfish.

1 the first creation included V & K as chefs prepping a goldfish meal for themselves when a sneaky puppy comes along to enjoy the meal. TwinDolliciousInstagram (shared here on Instagram)

2. The second creation included a goldfish parade, with confetti and moving floats.

It was so great to help support the NY International Children’s Film Festival. The children enjoyed 13 short films created by artists. After each film ballots were filled to rate their favorite films. It is always amazing to be able to surround children with art and culture.

NYICFF

We enjoyed sharing our top Staycation choices. If Grandmas house in PA was option we would link ticket info to that show; but til next time we hope you’ll take a visit to some of our favorite places during your visit or staycation in NYC.

Please enjoy a way to melt away the boredom with this fun Snowman maze worksheet. For more engaging learning activities, go to Education.com!

We were excited to partner with them in order to bring our little readers some fun!

Animation Tales make wonderful social stories

Have you ever wondered how an animation tale is made?

You’re correct if your first answer was to take a few snap shots but the best part are the props!

We were delighted to be invited to the NY International Children’s Film Festival which runs from Feb 23 – March 18th. Even more exciting was that Goldfish was a sponsor.

Our Twindollicious team received a package filled with things that only a professional animator would recognize… so I thought;

V & K were so excited to get their hands on everything that they immediately began to research the directions and other animation ideas.

Together we opened up the box to reveal

Markers

Claytoons

Stencil cutters

Clapper board

Pipe cleaners

Googly eyes

Almaloy wire

Sellemer snap shot

And of course a package of Goldfish crackers

Checkout our unboxing on the channel

Twindollicious video along with our animation by V & K using all of the props to create a Goldfish Parade