Blogger Inspiration

As you may have noticed, I've been writing a lot more lately!  I was so lucky to have been invited to an incredible "Lunch and Learn" event last week and it reignited my passion!  Hosted by Heather of Diary of a First Time Mom and The Motherhood, it felt so fabulous to escape from "the toddler zone" and have a grown up afternoon.

I was so incredibly impressed with the bloggers who were brought together for this afternoon of learning and fun,  We enjoyed a lovely lunch, and met together to share our writing experiences.  I was so humbled to realize that many of these women have been blogging for years, have made true life changing impacts on their readers, have made incredible partnerships, and many write every.single.day.

And while I felt like the blogging baby in the room, I remind myself that "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."  I hope you'll follow along as I begin my steps - day by day to bring My Tales with Two to a level that will bring you coming back for more!  I can't guarantee daily posts quite yet, but I can promise things will be much more regular around here!

Check out Heather's post at Diary of a First Time Mom to find out more about all of the amazing Pittsburgh Bloggers that were brought together, and see pictures from the event!

What topics would you like to see My Tales with Two cover?  Do you have a motherhood or twin challenge your curious how we managed?  I'd love to hear your ideas!


And as always, we hope you'll consider voting for us at Top Baby Blogs linked below!
  

Beach Baby Checklist

I am SO excited to be working on some tips we learned last year when taking babies to the beach for the first time. Don't forget to checkout our 10 tips to bringing baby to the beach post here! Beach Baby Checklist of all of the things to pack into your beach bag when toting infants or toddlers down to the ocean!

Here are some must haves, as well as some of our personal favorites when heading to the beach with babies!

• Beach Bag:  We'd recommend something large enough to include all of your junk, but ideally would have a zipper to keep sandy breezes from coating your gear.  A favorite is the Super Organizing Tote from Thirty One Gifts!  With lots of pockets and a zipper, it's got all of the requirements for a perfect bag and comes in cute colors!
• Towels (one per person)
  
• Beach Chairs (one per adult): We love our Big Kahuna Beach Chairs by RIO which can lay flat to accommodate a sleeping baby!
  
• Neat Sheet or Blanket to provide a clean surface
  
• Sunscreen: Kid friendly spray's keep little wigglers sun safe without the struggle
  
• Sun Glasses: We adore Baby Banz for sunglasses that stay on and protect little eyes. It did take some convincing for the babies to keep them on, but now they love them!
  
• Small Cooler: For milk, or juice during hot days (and maybe your diet coke or beer).  Choose resealable containers to prevent spills and keep sand out of beverages.  Freeze a bottle of water to use as an ice pack, which doubles as an extra drink when it melts!
• Food: Kid friendly snacks like cool "squish pouches", cut fruit, cereal, cheese or any other favorites!
  
• Baby Hat
  
• Swim Diapers and Regular Diapers
  
• Change of Clothes for Baby
  
• Ziplock Bag: For wet clothes
• Plastic Grocery Bag: For dirty diapers and trash
• Pacifiers for Nap and Spray Bottle with Water
  
• Light Blanket for keeping sand away during naps.  We like Aden and Anis's muslin swaddle blankets which we use for everything!  They're large and light and perfect for summer. 
• Corn Starch or Baby Powder
• Sand Toys: Our kids favorites were a simple sand bucket, shovel, rake and molds.  At only 9 months, they weren't able to use them in the traditional fashion but enjoyed moving the sand around with the tools and dumping it out of the molds.
• Flotation Device or Baby Intertube if desired for pool
• Book or Magazine for Mom
• Camera to capture those special memories

Is there anything I've missed?  Comment with your Beach Baby must haves and I'll add them to our list!

Click here to read our full post of 10 tips for bringing baby to the beach!

Please take a second to vote for us using the link below!

A Mama Uniform

I'm ready to throw in the towel and go naked.  Well - not really, because that would be inappropriate, but I'm throwing my hands up in surrender as the fashion gods clearly hate me.

While I was never a "fashionista" and was proud to shop the clearance racks through middle and high school, I found favorite stores in college and in my early career that kept my wardrobe on track.  The now defunct B. Moss offered classic, quality styles that were more "grown up" than teen clothes but weren't things my mother's generation would wear.  Deeper into my career I fell in love with the quality pants of Ann Taylor, upscale casual of Banana Republic and the reliable standby's of Gap.

Pregnancy brought the maternity clothes, to which my response was kinda "eh - no one looks good pregnant" but secretly I loved the excuse to wear comfy clothes and not worry about my belly "pouch."  Two babies was a great reason to let it all hang out!

My struggle with my wardrobe really began when the babies were born, and here we are 18 months later, still facing an uphill battle.

After delivery, I was down 20 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight coming home from the hospital, and lost another ten breastfeeding.  Although my body had changed with my weight distribution, my shorts could still zipper and my tops fit fine.  A new fashion plague was upon me - reflux.  Brayden threw up so often (leaving oily stains in his path) that I could barely justify new clothes and stocked my closet full of solid colored crew necks from Kohl's.  Along with yoga pants, these became staples of my new Mommy Uniform, and remain my most commonly worn outfit to this day.  I even joke with my friends that my style is Yoga Homeless, as explained in The Naked Redhead's fabulous video.

But there's so many days I now want more.  Joining Dan for his ten year reunion, I became so frustrated with my lack of appropriate attire that I spent a whole evening crying.  The pounds had crept back on since I put away my  breast pump, and my "real clothes" were again hard to button and I certainly didn't look good in them.

I have the best husband in the world, who has blessed me with the command to "get out there and shop" - no limits, do whatever I need to do to feel better.  I started with a subscription to weight watchers, and now 15 pounds lighter, I'm sitting comfortably in new eating habits and more comfortably fitting clothes.

But the problem remains that Ann Taylor is no longer appropriate for my day to day, but Yoga Homeless is not cutting it either.  I'm ashamed to say it, but I have a terrible fashion secret that I need to "get off my chest" (literally).

I am still wearing my nursing bras - 17 months after my kids failed to nurse.

Yep, you'll have to bust out the magnifying glass to read that one.  Seriously though, I wish Stacy and Clinton from What Not to Wear could sweep me off my feet and into some magical dressing room with piles of clothes that fit and look good.

My sad reality though is that after spending a whole day looking at stores in Grove City, and a good hour of shopping at TJ Maxx, I couldn't find a single garment that interested me.  It's that rough spot where you have no idea what you're looking for, but lots of ideas what you're not looking for.  So how about you?  Where are your favorite "mom friendly" places to shop for casual yet fashion forward clothes?  Somebody's got to fill this girl in!  

Buggy Bench Review

I recently posted about how I get out (and survive) with twins and one of our favorite accessories is the Buggy Bench.  It is a "must have" product for twins, and would be awesome for any family who has two children very close in age.

I was so lucky to have come across the the Buggy Bunch when I saw a Twiniversity's facebook post asking twin parents about their favorite product made for multiples.  I was curious about the title, and googled!

So what is a buggy bench?  It's an awesome strap-in seat, which secures into the basket of almost any regular shopping cart, and ensures a "back seat" for a second child.  It suspends a few inches over the bottom of the basket, keeping little bums comfy and safe.

The seat is cloth with a little structure in the back, and has four straps with clamp-like buckles which are really secure when wrapped around the rim of a shopping cart.  It does take me about five minutes to get it right where I want it, and get the child all settled, but boy is it worth it!

The seat includes safety seat straps, which buckle around the child's waist to keep them seated - which is one of my biggest "pros" in comparison to just seating a child in the basket.  The seats come in a variety of colors, are washable, hold up to a 40 lb child, and in my opinion are of very high quality.

Brayden in his Buggy Bench

The absolute best thing about the Buggy Bench is that it allows families to take only one cart, and get a significant amount of stuff (placed around the child in the basket).  I have tried the two cart push-pull and the stroller/cart combo - both of which were a major fail.  This seat truly gave me the freedom to visit stores which don't have double carts!

While the seat and child obviously prevents you from getting a very full overflowing load of groceries - reality  is (at least in our world) that impatient toddlers don't allow you the time to do that much shopping.

I would definitely recommend the Buggy Bench to anyone who is struggling to take their twins shopping, and think it would be most appropriate for babies 10-12 months and older.  It would make a fantastic addition to any twin baby registry or as a gift for a twin baby shower!  Available at http://www.buggybench.com/!

Disclaimer:  This review is my own opinion and is not sponsored or endorsed by the makers of The Buggy Bench.  I was not receive any form of payment for my post.

Out and About

Last time I posted I promised I'd share my "out and about" experiences with my babes.  It's been a while (yes I know) since I posted about getting out of the house but hopefully, on this Twin Tip Tuesday, I can share a little bit about how we survive when we leave home.

In some ways, I must admit, my kids do pretty well.  At 18 months, they sit through restaurant meals with only an occasional crank, and hang out at target like a pro.  I like to think that that is somewhat due in part to the things I'm doing "right" along the way - but possibly just a fluke.  We do have our challenges though - Julie is a major flight risk right now, with legs ready to run but ears not ready to listen to "stop" or "no" or "JULIE!!!"  We take more adventures than most though, and so we've developed some tactics to make it a bit easier.  Here they are - in no particular order.

1 - Timing is Everything.  Tell me an hour on the clock, and I can tell you the temperament of my children.  There are these beautiful windows though where all seems right with the world and outings work SO much more smoothly.  For us, right after breakfast, right before lunch - when they're awake and full and diapers are dry - seems to be perfect.  After nap, when they've had a chance to get their diaper changed and munch on a snack is a similar window.  That's not to say that we NEVER leave the house in the afternoon, but I try to avoid it at all costs because I know sleepy/hungry/cranky babes lead to a miserable/embarrassed/frustrated Mama.  Find your window and make the most of it!

2 - Be Prepared to Entertain.  I'll be posting about my current diaper bag in the near future, but I'll share now that it is stocked FULL.  I have a container of toys that are small, portable, and hold their attention that they only get to see when we're out.  Sitting at a restaurant, hanging out at target, waiting in line for groceries - these toys offer just the right bit of novelty to keep them from hollering on high.  Some folks might have issue with my methods but my tablet is the all out in entertainment.  We especially love the Peekaboo Barn App (also from itunes) to keep them occupied wherever.  And I'm almost ashamed to say, the Bubble Guppies.  Yes, I'm well aware that the APA recommends no electronics before the age of 2 - but most of the APA never tried to take two 18 month olds shopping or out to dinner.  Our kids are just the right age to start using Busy Bag activities, and I'll be sharing more about those are in my Busy Bag exchange post in the near future!

3 - Snack at Hand.  My bag is also packed with food bribes snacks to keep them satisfied.  Before a meal out, we start with an "appetizer" of cheez-its, string cheese, or apple slices.  Nothing original about that I'm sure.  What IS original, is using mini MnMs to keep the screaming toddlers at bay while at the Optician's office.  My disaster of an eye appointment (hubby couldn't get back in time, couldn't reschedule) was salvaged by jumping out of the chair every minute or so to give the kids another MnM.  Is it the healthiest option?  Of course not - but it works for us (and all the folks around us who don't want to hear my kids scream).  Our local grocery chain even helps us out with this by offering free cookies to kids - a special treat to keep them busy while picking up the necessities.

So when we're out and about, playing with our special toys and eating our snacks, we ride in style.  Obviously with two, you learn to visit stores with double carts.  These usually work well, but there are so many stores that don't offer these options.  Our solution - The Buggy Bench!  Be on the lookout for a full review of the buggy bench soon, but we absolutely love this basket tethered "back seat" which keeps one kid in the front, and one in the basket, with everyone strapped in.  I've attempted pushing a stroller and dragging a cart, and pushing/pulling two separate carts.  This is BY FAR the best solution for Twin Moms or moms of multiple kids close in age.  Brayden is my back seat rider and he absolutely loves it.

That's about it for now, but I'm sure this post will be updated over time with links and new tips as things change daily in our world!  Happy Twin Tip Tuesday!