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

We hosted a Beech Nut Naturals baby foodie party

It’s time for holidays and one of our favorites is peeking through the window. That would be Thanksgiving of course !

It’s the holiday where I get to cook all of my favorite meals for the family; from the elders down to the babies.

I learned about Beech-Nut Naturals line of baby food purees inspired by homemade just in time. The line of jar purees was created with input from moms and dads to share how Beech Nut ® Naturals ™ ‘s company from Upstate New York message is real food for babies™!

I wanted to host some of my favorite moms and babies to a casual get together in order to share how feeding your family the best possible food can be introduced at an early stage, as well as using the delicious ingredients made with real fruits and vegetables that we would use at home to create deliciousness for us adults as well.

As a #Beechnutpartner #realfoodforbabies #mommies parties host; I created this delicious purée dip that included real strawberries, fresh blueberries and whipped cream cheese, served with crackers for the moms while the babies feasted on their favorite Beech Nut Naturals fruits and vegetables.

The cutest honey pot jar with the rich green top can be found in your local grocery store for the babies to enjoy, just like these Little’s.

Our NEW go to brand for home decor and style for the family is at JCPENNEY

Over the weekend a big thing happened at JC Penney and I’m bringing the good to you!

An exclusive brand for JCPenney has been curated into a collection of classic styles to mix and match for the entire family and the home.

This super exciting brand is called Peyton & Parker!

For me as a one stop shopper and style lover this is game changer especially during the holiday season.

Peyton & Parker is the photo ready collection that is perfect for coordinating a style or home decor with perfect mix and match pieces. It’s NOW possible to even bring the photo studio to your home for the holidays for some real life shots…. just the way we love!

I had the privilege of trying out the new brand in a style challenge and couldn’t find a piece I didn’t love; so much so that I did some boys styling and the whole family. This sweater has actually just made my wish list.

The new lifestyle brand is designed entirely by the in-house design team at JCPenney and sold exclusively at their stores and online. It’s truly a moms dream come true.

Peyton & Parker is now available to make instagramable moments real and simple for you and yours.

This post is sponsored by MOMTRENDS

Here are your first healthy, fun and stylish steps to prepping for the holidays from MTNightout3

If you’ve ever looked through the pages of Parents Magazine , Parents Latina, family fun and other amazing editorial magazines that bring you bright photos of products and brands you’re going to love what’s new for the holiday and beyond.

After attending a hosted event for moms curated by our friends at momtrends. I’m sharing how I experienced a list of brands in real life just to bring you a moms influential insight on some goodness you will love!

Now of course if you’re a parent you know that the start of school and change of seasons bring on sicknesses and the FLU. Well BoironUSA introduces us parents to more healthy days and less sick days with their homeopathic medicines. Boiron medicines do not contain any of the ingredients questioned by FDA for use in children under 4. They’re best know for the top selling flu medicine Oscillococcinum and the line of cough and cold relief medicines including chestal and cold calm. *We all know that it’s that time of year.

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When you’re on a roll to happy healthy holidays you want to do it in style this is where JCPenney steps in. They have just launched a new lifestyle brand : Peyton & Parker. You can get your hands on the amazing new brand by shopping the store exclusively or on line Peyton & Parker by JCP

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I’m personally in love with home decor and even enjoy adding the kiddos toys (because it is a part of our lifestyle) into the homes setting, which is why http://www.vtechkids.com/ are our go to for quality, sustainability, fun, learning and style. It is actually the world leader in innovative educational products that enrich your child’s development. We’re especially highlighting the electronic learning products that include baby walk alongs to the KidiZoom Smart watch DX2 for holiday gifting.

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Fun and play is always great but with holiday fun also comes lots of family outings and delicious food. If your babes are eating meals they’re probably exposed to different foods and textures. It’s recommended to introduce them to a probiotic that will reduce fussiness due to occasional digestive upset while developing a healthy digestive and immune system; which is where http://www.culturelle.com/ comes in.

Culturelle is a pediatrician recommended brand based on a 2016 survey among pediatricians recommending a kids probiotic brand. The product is not intended to diagnose, treat , cure or prevent any disease, but contain safe and gentle ingredients that work naturally with your baby’s body.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug administration.

This post is sponsored by MOMTRENDS

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

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 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.