Why we choose Thule as our top recommended stroller

If you’ve ever looked around while driving on a road trip and noticed the top rack of other cars they’re probably loaded with Thule. Yes, the sleek carrier atop filled with all you will probably need on your trips.

Thule has been around since 1942, when created in Sweden. Due to the brand being a top rated product for safely transporting anything you care for safely why not move into the baby sector and transport the number one thing (person) in our lives …. the children.

We chose Thule Brand as the stroller for our little Bash as soon as he began walking. It was time for him to have a little more independence, with safety and comfort being the first priorities.

I was totally impressed by the hardware structure and easy collapsible features. We currently have the http://www.thule.com/en-us/strollers/strollers (Urban glide) which is super lightweight, casual and durable for walks.

The NEW Thule sleek is the first four wheel flexible stroller which allows configuration……. single and doublesssss yes twins can ride in Thule as well! There are so many features for moms and dads to enjoy as well as having their sweet little baby ride in style.

These opinions are of my own experience as a mom of a Thule rider.

See below 🙂

#thulecitytosummit

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.

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.

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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.

They know how to make this mom smile

Being a mom means learning patience, finding humor , teaching others as well as being taught at times.

I love listening to other children and experiencing their imagination during our book readings

New video here

Wishing everyone a relaxed and

Here’s your ticket to the New York Baby Show

Are you ready for your new baby or perhaps the next stage for your little one?

If you’re ready for a day in NYC surrounded by amazing brands and other awesome mamas, we’ve got you covered. We’re giving away a limited amount of FREE and discounted tickets to you lovelies just to get yourselves in gear for that special little mini in your lives.

On May 19 & 20 at Pier 94 the New York Baby show will once again be the largest show for new and expectant parents in the country. Now in its 8th year, no other event provides a better experience for thousands of expectant and new families from New York and neighboring counties, seeking a family-friendly jamboree of top brands, great speakers and seminars, big giveaways, and lots of learning, support, bonding, and fun as you make your way into parenthood. We are giving away tickets for you and your family to experience the show. See below for details… etc. Normal ticket price is $30 per family (for 2 adults and up to 4 children), and $20 per individual.

Free Ticket Giveaway Link

•https://newyorkbabyshow.eventbrite.com?discount=NatashaDFree

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

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!

Why you should still be attending the Biggest Baby Shower

The biggest baby shower organized by big city moms is an event you must attend; whether you are a first time mom or it’s your 5th time around. Every mom needs a pick me up of Up to date gear and products fit for you and baby. The show isn’t just for expectant moms it is also great for grandparents, an awesome gift of tickets to the show for parents to be or a mom with little kiddos that are still growing with this their first 1-3 years.

Bash and I attended with the interest of learning about new food companies and baby food for skin, moms health, nursing as well as educational toys. We were amazed by the endless amounts of brands in attendance.

After the baby shower Bash is currently enjoying Ella’s kitchen (Ella’s Kitchen organic squeezer snacks) and UUBI worlds bath toys as his favorites. Ubbiworld

Had a BASH at BBNYC

This year marks the first bbnyc Blogger bash NYC for Bash! It was quite different having a singleton on arm to mingle,  meet new brands and learn all about the fun new products happening at sweet suite 17 but at the same time he was the perfect little personality to have accompany me.

We visited Zulily’s photo shoot booth; which included bubbles and fun photographers. http://www.zulily.com/ I love how they were able to be apart of suite sweet for everyone.

Now….. throughout this huge area at the piers we scope out some of our favorite things that I’d like to share.

1. ✨Simplay3 the brand that started tikes; ride alongs , durable amazing products have now started the next stage of baby gear. We are in love with everything featured at BBNYC (especially the helmet ride along)  and know that there are more things to come. ✨ http://www.simplay3.com/

2. We had to visit V & K’s favorite snack pops booth http://www.yumearth.com/ we know that all sugar can be created equal but yum earths pops get a pass especially when they’re incorporating other nutritious snacks for your kiddies.

3. http://www.bixbee.com/ Was listed as one of the top choices to visit for bags and lunch boxes. I was so happy that we were able to visit them and learn more about their mission.  Backpacks that embrace the imagination and give back.

4. http://www.kangaroomfg.com/ Was loaded with fun reps in butterfly floaters and emoji madness! We loved them so much we had to share with an unboxing clip.

5. Saving the best for last because as a mom of 3 you never know when you’re going to have to make your own anything or mend something quickly.  This is where the 3doodler comes in. Three D Perfection!

We will be sharing more fun things that sweet suite had to offer! So much 2 share

Summer weekend travels

Slow down summer!  Though it has been 3 plus weeks since school ended, just the thought of packing away our summer styles and prepping for the cold scares the hee bee gee bees out of me.

We’ve been taking it as slow as we can between summer camp and our weekend getaways we are soaking up all of the sun we can to fulfill our vitamin D needs.

With 3 kids in tow we planned to visit some historical sites within driving distance. An 8-10 hour drive may sound like much but we’ve survived 16; now that’s serious. We chose Saratoga/Lake George as our first weekend getaway. We usually visit Martha’sVineyard  but decided to go with a group of our family members and learn about upstate NY. The kids couldn’t get enough of the horses at Bennington Farms, Martha’s Creme for ice cream, Congress park’s Carousel, of course the lake and did I mention the ice cream 🍦.

As if that adventure wasnt enough we were brave enough to do it again….and many more times to come of course. But, traveling down south to VA to visit family was both nostalgic and educational once again.

We stopped at chincoteague beach where the wild horses run and the famous story of misty originated.  The kiddies enjoyed one beautiful horse after another with an added touch of beach of course. We enjoyed our stay at a quaint Refuge Inn…. super kid friendly; just what we like!

Chincoteague