Alexa and Lillian: Travel the World

This week we were super excited to host two special young ladies – Alexa and Lillian, who are traveling the world to see how many places they can visit in one year.  Their mom is the author of Mom-A-Logues and you can follow their trip by visiting her blog.

Welcome to Pittsburgh girls!  Our city has been voted as the country’s “most livable city” and we have to agree that it’s a great place to live.  We have fantastic sports teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, and the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team.  Pittsburgh is located at the intersection of three rivers – the Allegheny, the Monongahela and the Ohio.  To cross these rivers, there are many bridges and sometimes Pittsburgh is called “the city of bridges.” 

Pittsburgh has been a very important place for a long time!  In the 1750’s, George Washington even started a war to protect Pittsburgh from the French!  Our city was also very important in the production of steel and many people came from around the world to work in the mills to make this important metal.  Pittsburgh still celebrates the foods and traditions of many of those who made our city their home.

Although we don’t produce much steel nowadays, there are tons of other important products that are created or developed in Pittsburgh.  If you’ve ever enjoyed Heinz Ketchup on your french fries, you’ve tried a product made in our city!  Other big businesses include PNC Bank, UPMC Hospitals, American Eagle Outfitters and even a Google office.  We have excellent colleges such as the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University who are doing some amazing things with robotics.  Recently, there have been many movies filmed in Pittsburgh and it’s great to see our city on the big screen.  Pittsburgh has many museums given to the city from Andrew Carnegie, a very famous Pittsburgh resident of the past.  We have a symphony orchestra, theaters, a zoo, and many other fun things to do!

A great video to see even more of our awesome city can be found here.

You arrived at our house the last week in April – what a perfect time for a visit!  We were so glad to have you with us and were excited to show you around our city.  We spent quite a bit of time indoors because we had some wild weather during your stay!  Temperatures ranged from the 30s all the way to the 70s during your visit!  Don’t worry, we made sure you were nice and warm in the fuzziest of pajamas, but helped you find your shorts and sunglasses to enjoy the sunshine.

You were a great help with our twins – Brayden and Julianna!  You guys must have lots of experience babysitting because the babies smiled and smiled at you. 

We worked on making some hair bows, and you each took turns wearing your favorites.

One afternoon, we got out the ukulele and sang some songs.  You have fantastic voices girls!

Over the weekend, we all went to my brother Sean’s graduation from college.  

You really had fun spending time with our family. 

It was awesome having you girls join us this week, and we wish you safe travels for the rest of your trip.  Next stop - Maryland!  Keep an eye on your mailbox for a little souvenir from your visit!

If you would like to host Alexa and Lillian in your hometown, contact their mom Dawn at http://www.mom-a-logues.blogspot.com/

Party Crasher

So no, I've never crashed a real party (or at least I don't think I have) but am excited to be crashing my very first Ultimate Blog Party!  You see, I found a pin on a fellow twin mom blogger's pinterest that looked too cool not to click, and found the link.  I was so pleasantly surprised to see I was just in time to participate and figured I could quickly write up a little "about us" and join the celebration!  My fingers are in a furry, racing the clock before Julie rouses herself from her slumber and wants to eat - so forgive any errors or typos!

Who Are We:


Heather is a new mom to boy / girl twins (Brayden and Julianna) who were born December 22nd.  While still feeling completely overwhelmed by the whole "I'm really a mother" thing, I'm getting the hang of it (I think).  I am a former "professional Girl Scout" running programming for girls here in Western PA for the past five years. I love to spend time my time outdoors, in the kitchen, or in the car on my way to a fabulous vacation.  I am learning photography, the art of consignment sales and how to make hair bows.

Dan is the love of my life, fabulous Daddy, engineer, product manager, and grill master and dog groomer.  Jack of all trades and my partner in everything.

Julianna has also been known as "Wiggle Butt," "Julie Bean," and "Beanie Baby."  When not being completely adorable, she likes to moonlight as the Poopy Princess and get her toes painted.


Brayden is everybody's little buddy, and truly an "old soul."  He's curious, a huge flirt, a complainer and completely incredible.

And this here is our little home on the web.  A place for me to have a "project," a place to share my experiences, and my hub for finding other mom's whose experiences make me better.  If you're visiting from the Ultimate Blog Party - thanks for stopping and welcome!  Leave me a comment as I'm looking forward to getting to know you!

Twin Tips: Clothes Pin Diaper Tracker

Every mother who has ever nursed (or attempted to nurse) knows the importance of tracking diapers.  It's as if babies have a daily "quota" to reach of wet and dirty dipes so that you know that they're getting all the goodness they need.  In the middle of the night fog, this tracking becomes especially hard.  When other caregivers (like husbands) get into the mix - the diaper tracking gap is almost unavoidable.

As a mother of twins, record keeping becomes even harder to keep track of two babies, and their different "outputs."  This is where my mother's genius idea came in handy! So simple, but the perfect solution.  CLOTHES PINS!

Behind out changing table, we have a lamp that has the cord hung externally, but any rope or ribbon hung from the wall would do.  We labeled each clip with B1 B2 or J1 J2.  B1 stood for Brayden #1 (wet) and J2 stood for Julianna #2 (dirty).

Caregivers would move one pin from top to bottom for each diaper change, and we would tally the pins in the morning.  So simple, but a total lifesaver for sleep deprived families.


Don't forget to vote for us!

Happy Easter!

It's the babies first Easter and I've already been filling them with tales about how the magical bunny will be visiting them tonight.  Come on - how can I resist the opportunity to buy some special things for my little bums? Here's a quick pic and list of inclusions in the babes VERY first Easter Baskets.

Brayden's Basket (left)

- Garanimals Wrist Rattles

- Garanimals Ankle Rattles

- "I love you More" book*

- Banana and Apricot baby food pouches (for the future)

- Bibs

- Binkies

- Green Snack Holder (target)

- Underwater Adventure DVD

- Green Bunny Ears

Julie's Basket (pink)

- Garanimals Wrist Rattles
- Garanimals Ankle Rattles
- Piggy Paint Toenail Polish
- Tights 3 Pack
- Socks
- Strawberries and Apples baby food pouches
- Bibs
- Binkies
- Pink Snack Holder
- Nursery Rhymes DVD
- Purple Bunny Ears

Hope your Easter is filled with faith, family and friendship!

Ten Tips for Kids Consignment Shopping Success

I've already shared some of the great deals I snagged at my recent consignment sale visits, but wanted to share my top ten tips to remember before hitting the sales floor.

1.  Find Your Sales and Make a Game Plan: One of my favorite mom bloggers pointed me in the direction of http://www.kidsconsignmentsales.com.  This awesome site is super convenient for finding the sales in your local region.  Next, consider your game plan.  This past week, there were five sales in our area, so strategy is a must.  Consider opportunities to shop a pre-sale or half price day late in the sale in order to make the most of your time.

2.  Go As Early as Possible: Not only will you have your "pick of the litter" with the clothes, toys and gear, but you can also snag some of the best deals this way.  Because sellers each price their items independently, there may be duplicates of the same items at a range of prices.  For example, one recent sale had six almost identical items (a popular battery powered ball blower toy) in stock.  Prices ranged from $5-$15 for the toy, with the highest priced item not necessarily the one in the best condition.  Earlier shopping allowed us to pick up the best quality item for $8.  Many sales offer pre-shopping events for new parents, new grandparents, military veterans and their families, organization members, consigners and volunteers.  The early bird catches the worm and some of the pre-sales require online registration so check the sale's website for opportunities.

3. Bring a Bag:  Sales are unlikely to have shopping carts so think creatively about how you'll tote your items around while shopping.  We hung lots of clothes on the handle of our stroller, and used an ikea bag for overflow.  We have a Mommy Hook and plan to get a second one for our future sales which was perfect for hooking toys with handles and loops.  A cart on wheels or wagon would be especially helpful.  We even saw women with clothes baskets attached to their belt loops with strings that they dragged around the sale.  What creative problem solvers!

4.  Get to Know Your Sale: What are your options for pre-sales?   Do they have a policy against strollers?  What payment methods are accepted?  Do they have a half-price sale and if so - what are the details.  I really recommend scouring all the links on the sale's website (FAQs, Info for Shoppers, Videos etc.).  You'll get a good look at what to expect.  When you arrive, consider chatting with a volunteer.  Most sales have a "holding area" that you can utilize so you don't have to carry around your large items.  They can also provide great details about bathrooms, checkout procedures and any sale discounts.  One piece of advice learned from my own failure is to really ASK about the half price sale.  Do not assume that because it says "half price" that all items are discounted.  Some sales put red dots on sale items, some put dots on items exempt from discounts.  Communication is really key for getting all the deals you were expecting at checkout.

5. Be Prepared for Anything:  You won't know what to expect before the sale - so expect the unexpected.  Our first sale was fairly small, and we walked right up to the checkout counter.  So boy was I surprised when, while shopping new mom pre-sale at our second sale (which was huge), we encountered an ENORMOUS line.  I'm talking 2 hours waiting in line to get through the checkout process.  Lucky for me, I had extra formula powder and the babies were pretty well behaved.  Also when shopping with kids, realize the possibility that there may not be a bathroom as many sales are held in usually unoccupied buildings.  Both my babes got changed in a corner behind a sales rack, and I was glad to have an extra blanket to protect them from the floor.

6. Shop for Everything You Need: There are certain pieces of clothing your kids will always need.  "Dress Clothes" for example will likely be part of your child's wardrobe in every size.  My family goes to a horse race every spring, so I will be shopping ahead for both babies for lots of seersucker and khaki pants to prepare for the seasons ahead.  Use my Baby Clothes Inventory Sheet to keep up with your current stock and identify future gaps in your needs.

7.  Grab a Half Price Deal: On half price day (available at many sales) you can really get some of the best deals.  Yes, things may be slightly "picked over" and you'll unlikely find the hot item Bumbo Chair.  But when you have every thing you really need you can shop half price for future sizes, or great items at low prices for gifts or even potential resale.  Remember these sales have everything - clothes, books, toys, bedding and other necessities and you'll be glad later that you got such an incredible savings.

8. Come with an Empty Car: Yeah I hear ya - you don't plan to buy anything big.  But you really never know.  We ended up having a FULL back hatch of my SUV and an exersaucer riding home on my mom's lap. Do yourself a favor and make room before you shop!

9. Consider Consigning: What a great way to make some money to reinvest in your shopping!  I am the absolute worst at letting go of adorable clothes.  It is easier for me at least, to give up clothing that I purchased second hand.  I think of it as "clothes sharing" - someone owned it before my kids, and someone will own it after my kids.  Coming in with that expectation makes parting a little less sorrowful.

10.  Get Ready for the Next Sale:  Don't forget to sign up for the sale's mailing list to be sure you're ready for the next event.  Most hold events twice a year and mailing list signups are available at checkout.

Now grab your purse and get shopping!  If you're already a veteran consignment shopper, leave a comment and tell us about your BEST consignment sale deal!