How to get ready for your holiday soirées

Leading up to the holiday can be the most fun of all!

The parties, the planning, the shopping, the mingling, its all the happy necessities of the holiday season.

After receiving an invitation to the MOMTRENDS holiday soirée I immediately thought “what will I wear?” This was just the beginning of the holiday festivities with friends.

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The #MTHolidaysoiree hosted by momtrends gets better by the years and because us women love an excuse to get glamorous. I began prepping for the festive night with a pre event blowout at the Worth Street, NYC location of Glamandgo. I am always impressed by the service and time management used to make clients feel and look glamorous, along with the out the door tips to long lasting blowout.

Next major preparation was NAILS of course!

Do any of you Dolls add holiday cheer to your nails?

I, along with V & K enjoyed a manicure by GlossLab ! The NYC trendy salon has a vibe that is kid friendly and relaxing for everyone, including my lap buddy BASH. I chose a matte, charcoal polish that lasted longer than any manicure I’ve had.

While the girls chose emoji and unicorn polish just for kids from the mini polish bar and service…. Prices are just $10 to make them feel just as gorgeous. The topper is the message your manicurist gives while you’re drying, which I along with the two 7 year olds enjoyed very much!

Now for the styling! I truly wanted to feel festive and with the help of Cabi ‘s selection of styles I found the Celebration jacket to be a perfect fit! The vibrant red was contagious and perfect for the holiday soirée!

A standout accessory is always needed to tie the look together and this is where MarciaMoran jewelry took the lead. I wore the Carthay earrings : a stunningly designed earring that drops just below the neckline.

The MTHolidaysoiree took place at Sugar Cane Raw Bar Grill the perfect setting for dinner and cocktails. There’s an intimate area that is set in the back of the restaurant to host your most fabulous holiday party; with smashing views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridge ; in the heart of Dumbo, Brooklyn.

Table settings were extra festive and personal thanks to Tighemi ( A Moroccan artiSian home and accessory collection) , Mabel’s Labels and EOcreativeworks . It included just the right amount of festive color with the sweet introduction to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

It wouldn’t be a holiday soirée without gift giving so each attendee received a gorgeous sac from “EOcreativeworks” filled with goodies. If you’re just receiving those holiday party invites or looking to host try choosing some of the listed brands above for style, gift ideas, decor and location.

Happy Holidays!! We’re just getting started 🎉🎁

*THIS IS A SPONSORED POST, YET ALL OPINIONS ARE OF MY OWN.

Sharing more beach style and TwinDollicious adventure

Just when school was beginning and we were mentally preparing to settle down a bit for fall we decided to go on one more adventure!

We visited the beautiful Caribbean island of Honduras , then traveled along the Norwegian Getaway ‘s private island in Belize, Costa Maya Mexico and Cozumel for a week full of learning and adventure.

One of the best parts may have been he beautiful weather, beach days and resort wear.

Honduras is such a cultured country of food, wonderful people and growth. The old dirt road were being paved as we drive from one port to another. We visited the beautiful Garifuna village, ate fresh from the trees and ocean, and listened to nostalgic Spanish music. All while our little city kiddies blended without any transition necessary.

Visiting Roatan Animals

Belize tranquility

Serenade s in Costa Maya

La isla /ciudad Cozumel

There’s such a perfect blend of city and island life to Cozumel.

While visiting, they were beginning the festivities of their new year celebration. Shops were lining up for vending , carnival rides were being set up and the aroma of delicious authentic food filled the streets.

You can never forget about the ocean experience. Cruising has been one of our favorite things to do after having the Twins and we can now say that Bash has adjusted to this lifestyle very well. He is our little runner, with lots of energy, but while on the ship we never worried about finding ways to keep him busy. He visited the splash academy for the little guppies, while the girls Played with friends. He also took numerous trips to ice cream stations and enjoyed the water slides.

NYFW hair and fashion street style

NYFW is the highlight of fashion as we all know and LOVE!

In 2018 fashion has gone beyond clothing and is now embracing beauty And wellness as an overall fashion lifestyle. This new turn on fashion lifestyle has opened up many doors for creatives as well as fashion lifestyle lovers.

I used to find it hard to incorporate my work into the big world of fashion, because of the dedication to children and As a mom who considers my daily schedule before planning my style for the day…. I may fall off trend at times. However the excitement of not only having children’s fashion become a small part of fashion week but hair and beauty has taken center stage and I was super excited to attend the Texture on the runway event by Sally Beauty.

#naturallycurly was the movement of the night.

The runway was filled with creatively styled hair up dos, while talented models and ceo’s of hair brands like Cantu, Mane, carols daughter, Mielle, Shea moisture graced the stage to speak all of their goodness into the audience.

This change in the fashion week sparked so much excitement in everyone. It was awesome to interact with the brands, feel the products and learn more about the story behind them .

Another highlight and perfect combination to Fashion week is the event parties that follow. Media outlets are the reasons why we all strive in our businesses.

Which is why an Elle Magazine Fashion week party could not have been missed. They hosted the most elegant soirée to pamper the hard workers that put on these shows, and their guests. The glam squad was in attendance to make you shine, while a showcase of on trend looks were displayed for a first look and feel.

Sorel

I can now say that I’m especially looking forward to a new shoe release by Sorel. Now that Fashion week is done and fall is creeping in I should be prepping fall looks and style but I can’t seem to put our resort wear away just yet.

We will see you back on the blog when we return from the 🏖 beach!

(Visiting The beautiful 5 in the Caribbean … including Honduras)

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 travels to Twinsburg part II

Do you have that one place that your family visits every year, and no matter what it never gets old? Twinsburg, Ohio is our place.

Twinsburg, Ohio is a historical town dedicated to the lifestyle of twin brothers who married, raised their families and built businesses in this one place. Ironically we may never move here but find it to be the most welcoming town to visit year after year just because V & K are twins and have a twin story to share with other people in town.

Day 1: V & K captured here making their mark on a very special registration to be counted in as one of the set of twins in attendance during the fest

This year, as every other year for over 26 years the Twinsday Festivities took place. Twinsday festival was even more exciting because V & K along with other twins were invited to the wedding of a lifetime. Twin sisters married twin brothers in the towns square, which marks the place where there met.

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Our 7 hour ride to this quaint little town in Ohio is always worth every second. This year with the help of Mazda the CX 9 safely chaperoned our family and TwinDollicious merchandise to Twinsburg. We had the best surprise ever once arriving at our hotel…. we learned that the future brides and grooms were staying at the same exact location – EXCITiNG!

Day 2

Though it is an early call time to be on he grounds before 9 V & K are never late. They have always made it extra exciting for everyone and now Bash and dad join in with just as much excitement. They line up to watch or walk in the parade.

Once the parade is done the kiddos are ready for some fun! The carnival rides open, contests and performances on stage begin.

The girls walked the grounds with friends, took photos -along with the annual twin photo and when 5 o’clock struck; everyone headed to the square. It was as if Cinderella had arrived. V & K has their adorable tutu style outfits picked before leaving the hotel but somehow became too anxious to change for the wedding (afraid that they were going to miss) . To their surprise they were seated right behind the dad of the brides. What a treat!

You can catch the wedding and more on TLC network.

After all if this years excitement who knows what next year will bring?!

Summer Fun at Liberty Science Center

When you think of summer activities do you ever think of indoor activities? Well, we have an awesome indoor activity for you to consider.

The Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ is a 300,000 square foot space located in Liberty State Park. There are so many reasons to visit this space and the surrounding areas but we’re going to share with you the reason why we love Liberty Science Center.

We attended the Summer time fun at Liberty science center with our friends at Mom trends to experience the FOUR great, Amazing exhibits and more. We couldn’t wait to share them with you – along with the opportunity to win 2 tickets of your own to experience it for yourselves !

This summer at Liberty Science Center there is a dinosaur experience, a scientific experience based on the human body called “Grossology”, Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium in a giant dome theater, and an Arthurs world interactive exhibit.

With all of that excitement….where do you start?

We began our experience at Jack Horner’s Dino Dig; where all of the kiddos were able to use their imaginations and the tools that paleontologists use to dig through 35 tons of sand to find fossils.

Next, we made our way over to the brand new Grossology exhibit.  LSC takes you on a fun and interactive experience within this exhibit. There is a slide through the tummy that is hard to resist as well as the belly pumping soda can which lets you know how much liquid enters the belly and the process of a belch. Our littles Bash had the best time learning about snot…yes snot.

The second new exhibit that you would not want to miss is “Arthur’s world”, itself.  This exhibit includes an interactive play stage for singing and dancing as well as some of his favorite places such as a camping site, Arthurs home, school setting and library.

We saved the 4th exhibit for last because it is the 4th largest Planetarium in the western hemisphere.

We are so happy that it has made its home at the NYC-NJ Metropolitan area!

The Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium is constructed of a dome shape at about 89 feet. This is where you will be able to experience shows and siting like the Orion Nebula – the night sky.

There are different show experiences throughout the day. However our top showing was Sesame Street! The planetarium is there for all age viewings, even 2 year olds will remain engaged when Big Bird is talking with friends, singing and dancing on the moving dome screen.

General admission is 22.75 for adults, 18.75 for children ages 2-12 and exhibits Arthur’s world and Dino Dig are included.

Enter to win our giveaway by commenting below and linking it HERE

“Where can you find the latest baby gear and toys”…you asked?

In other breaking news Toys r us and Babies r us are here no more… but when Sweet Suite and Baby Palooza NYC come to town your prayers are answered and there is hope again!

There is always so much anticipation as to what brands will be in attendance at the mornings event of Baby palooza NYC.  The amazing team pulls together great brands, new and old to create a space that showcases all of the goodness the brands have to offer.

This year I attended with Bash in tow (fast asleep) OMG! We worked the floor visiting our favorite brands, while getting to learn about new start up brands and products.

You may have read about Babobotanicals   here before.  However their new skin care, tinted line for moms is one to enjoy.  Where else can you enjoy an online shopping experience for you and your little baby at the same time? Find them at #babolove for awesome promos and product updates via facebook.

Next, B.Box the go to brand for feeding your babes from 6 mos…to 7 Years.  The new double servings container is perfect for kids on the go.  With summer camp well underway we couldn’t have asked for a better find when it comes to packing up snacks and lunch.

DEAR MOM , well what can I say? A four pack of a delectable wine beverage found at your local grocers and here for you to enjoy.

We’re always looking for something to include for mom 🙂 The 3rd mom treasure found at Baby palooza NYC was Armitron ..one watch many faces; it so hard to choose a favorite.

Lets talk about Thule; the company known for urban explorers and outdoor adventures. We love a great adventure and having our little Bash to tag along requires a durable vehicle for him.  With Thule’s luxury line of luggage, ride alongs, and now carriage system the little’s are sure to be anticipating just as much of the adventure as the older siblings and parents.

This fun fueled pack day did not end at baby Palooza!

Yes, there was more to discover in one day. Sweet Suite took place just hours later in a perfect location by the piers in NYC. The anticipation of Suite Sweet is based on the entry way and showcase displays of brands.

This year guests were greeted by a balloon maze watch here !

Upon entering the show floor, V & K were excited to see all of their favorite brands. Yes, the girls attended a toy insider event and were able to work and play!

Their top 5 favorites included

1. Roblox
2. Orbeez
3. Boxy girls
4. Nickelodeon

5. Cra Z art

However the showcase floor is so big, it can be hard to cover the entire event ins few hours, so the amazing team of toy insiders send along a swag box for some at home fun.

We found an extensive amount of amazing toys to share for all toy lovers…. starting with Plushee lovers

💕 Jigglydoos – which can now be found at Walmart!

2. Getting creative with these toys for Stem and science play

3. V & K’s kind of science mixed with beauty include tons of this…

💕 Shimmer and sparkle scented bath bombs

4. Kind bag Fun is all the craze and will continue with these fun new toys! Have you heard of the Party pop teenies ?!

5. Outdoor play products just in time for summer vacations. How about floating on a flamingo floatie… I mean that is seriously the life that any 7 year old would want to live ; isnt it?

Music and wonder for the imagination thanks to Microphone

For those moments when it’s time to unplug; turn to highlights activity books, crayons fun and mini game boards for siblings to learn and play together.

We won’t forget the smallest of the bunch. The little learners who enjoy light and sensory based stimulation to grow.

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

Travel to the island we love most

After many years of traveling to the East to visit that amazing little Island for opening season called Martha’s Vineyard .. it never gets old. Every time I return, I tell myself that the children will always love it here as much as I do and will continue to come when they have their own families one day.

There is always an inspirational moment and something new to discover when visiting.

I found the best work space to sit and get work done in the early mornings or during afternoon naps.

Every town from Edgartown, to Vineyard haven to oaks bluff, back to the cliffs are phenomenal day or night.

The weather was completely perfect this trip so we made time for the beach and pool.

However the topper was the visit to the airport and the farm. The sweet farm in Edgartown was very interactive. The children were able to experience life on the farm as little “barnyard buddies” .

Nancy’s was our dinning of choice on National Lobster day and almost every night we found ourselves at the Back Door donuts for a snack.

The snacking is A OK when you’re walking through town or riding your bikes…. we were happier with riding the flying horses and catching the rings. In which K was the lucky winner of the brass ring 3 Times!

Epic for anyone whose ever had a ride on the flying horses!

We even squeezed in movie time to watch the Incredibles at the original Strand Theatre.

On our very last day we made a stop at the little free library to drop off a book – our new story that I began writing on our last trip to the Vineyard Here

Summer camp here we come

Pop sugar: the new playground event for all pop culture lovers

I can’t believe that it’s been over a week since we’ve walked the pop sugar playground floors. The 2 full days of pop sugar culture was amazing.

For me it brought the Pop Sugar brand to life! There was a complete umbrella of amazing talent who make our lives in beauty, fashion, lifestyle and social so much more reachable. The roster of talent included musicians, comedians (women), actresses and boss women in business. Gracing the floors of pop sugar meant that all of this experience was tangible.

V & K, my twin doll sidekicks attended and were ecstatic. We learned How to properly slide down into a ball pit and spin the wheel of luck sponsored by Kohl’s .

They were super lucky and made a double win!!

I walked away from the 2 day event with insights on growth in pop culture, what’s trending as well as a huge amount of inspiration.

My favorite part about attending empowering events such as this, is the meeting of the awesome new brands, creative people behind them and the take away experience that can be used within my own business and lifestyle.

Here are a few links to new brands that we’ve come to know and love ❤️

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UR Bath ad Body co

SkinInc

100% Pure