2015 Favorites

Every year at Christmas the girls in my family do a "favorite things" gift exchange. We all pick a favorite thing of ours and buy 5 of them and then everyone gets one of every favorite thing. I LOVE this tradition. It's so fun to be introduced to new things, and I always love what everyone else gives!
As I was thinking of what to give as my favorite thing, I thought about all of the things I feel like I can't live without. Many of them aren't gift-able, but I'll share my favorites anyway!

1. Amazon Prime. This is without a doubt my favorite invention of all time. Free 2-day shipping on nearly any item you could imagine? Generally I can't find items on Amazon at a better price than I could in the store, AND I don't have to go shopping at odd hours when my husband is home with the kids or drag the kids along with me. Wins all around!
2. Netflix. I don't get a ton of adult interaction around here, so watching TV helps me feel more like a real person and less like a 2-year old. I have rules for myself that I don't watch TV (or get on social media etc.) when my kids are awake, but during naptime my favorite thing to do is watch a show on the laptop while I clean up the first half of the days' messes. It does seem kind of funny that we pay extra for Netflix when Prime comes with instant streaming too.. but I prefer the shows that Netflix offers, and their interface is simpler too.
3. Macey's Anywhere Online Shopping. My life changed drastically for the better once I learned about this new grocery shopping option. I go online, select the foods that I want to buy and pay for it, and then select a pick-up time for later that day (or another day if you want it) and then I drive to the store, text them when I arrive, and they bring my groceries to me and load them in the car. SERIOUSLY?! This is a game changer, folks. Never again will I drag 3 screaming children through the aisles of a grocery store by myself. Best. Invention. Ever.
4. LUSH body bar. This is what I ended up gifting, because it fit our price range and it was the easiest thing to give to other people. I actually hadn't ever tried one, or even heard of them, until just before Christmas when a friend suggested them. But oh man, are they awesome! They smell fantastic and make awesome massagers. Just walking into that LUSH store, I wanted to buy nearly everything I saw!
5. Zap Cloth. My sister gifted this as her favorite thing, and it instantly became a favorite of mine too! It's a large square cloth that is free of any cleaners, chemicals, or anything else (it's literally just a cloth), but it cleans just about anything without leaving any streaks or residue. I've used it on my counters, walls, mirrors, glass, kitchen table and leather couches and it has worked wonders. I just get it wet, ring it out, and wipe away. Honestly, I don't even use Windex on my mirrors or windows anymore, just the wet Zap Cloth! I've already washed it about 3-4 times because I use it that often. My sister said hers has lasted over a year, and they're only $6! Super awesome chemical free way to clean.
6. Ameo Essential Oils and Diffuser. This was a Christmas gift as well, and I love it! I love that you can diffuse straight from the bottle and it makes your house smell SOOOO good. Also, when Juliet was sick a few weeks ago I was able to put some oils in the diffuser and put it in her room all night to help her sleep a little better.
7. Fleece Lined Leggings. So warm, so cozy, and they look cute too! With my 3 littles I spend so much time on the ground playing that I've worn holes in the knees of most of my favorite jeans (boo!), so leggings with a long tunic are my new everyday clothes.
8. Kodiak Pancake Mix. We buy the huge box at Costco. Whole wheat, just add water. It's a simple, super fast meal that my kids love and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Also, it's good for you! We serve them with frozen blueberries on top and pure maple syrup so I feel good about what my kids are eating, and it's made completely from things I have on-hand. This is my go-to meal when I don't have anything planned ahead of time.
9. Family Yearbooks. A friend mentioned a while ago how she makes family yearbooks with pictures and stories from the year and prints them in hardback to keep on their bookshelves. I loved the idea, so I started doing something similar. I've used Shutterfly, and I have been happy with their quality and they always have good promotions going. My first yearbook I made covered the years 2007-2012, the year Forrest and I met up until the year before the twins were born. Next I made one for 2013, which was the year Charlie and Caroline were born. I've been working on my next book, which I think will include both 2014-2015. I love looking back at photographs and journals and remembering everything that happened, and I think my kids will love these books as they grow up just as much as I will!

Though I hate to end on an odd number, I think that pretty well sums up my favorites of 2015. Hope you find something new that you can love as much as I do!

The Twin Necessities

I've had a few people ask me about the must-have items for twins. Since mine are still only 6 months old, I'm sure there are lots of things I don't know that I need yet (like leashes! Seriously though..) but I thought I'd share my list of things that I've found helpful with twin babies.

Two bassinets/cribs-I know a lot of people put their twins in the same crib, which is great, but I could only do that for the first few weeks. My kids just don't hold still and they wiggle like crazy in their sleep, so two cribs for us was a must. I had them in bassinets for the first 5 weeks and I had two of those as well. 

Bouncer and swing-personally, I did not find it necessary to have two swings and two bouncers. We didn't have the space in our small 1-bedroom apartment for two of each. But I found that having one bouncer and one swing worked out great. I always said if it ended up that oth of them liked the swing, then we'd go buy a second swing later. You don't need to have two of everything.

Two car seats-this one is pretty obvious. Of course you're going to need two car seats. I highly recommend going with infant carriers that you can remove from the car because it's borderline impossible to carry two babies at the same time to and from the car.

Spacious vehicle-you might think you can fit two rear-facing car seats in the back of your little sedan. And maybe you can, but good luck fitting anyone taller than 5' 7" into the front seat. And don't even think about trying to fit a double stroller in the trunk! We opted for a mini van (I know. Get the laughter out now) and it has been fantastic. The convenience of having automatic sliding doors, plenty of storage space, and seats where I don't have to lift the car seats above my head to get them latched in has far outweighed my embarrassment at driving a mini van.

Baby carrier-whether you prefer an ergo baby, mobe wrap, sling, or baby bjorn, gets baby carrier of some sort. There will be times when you will have two sad babies that just want to be held, and it's far easier to do it with one in a baby carrier and one in your arms than hold them both with only one arm each.

Double stroller-we went with a BOB so that I could easily take the kids both out jogging, and I love it. However, if I could do it again, I would also get a stroller that we could clip the car seats into.

Twin nursing pillow and double electric breast pump-if you plan on breast feeding. I have the MyBrest Friend twin size nursing pillow and I LOVE it. I don't think I would have stick with tandem feeding if I didn't have it. And a good double electric breast pump will help a lot with your supply. For the first month I pumped at least 3 times a day to get my supply up. And another positive, my mom, husband  and friends were able to help feed the kids during those difficult early weeks using the milk I had pumped. 

Podee bottles-seriously these things are amazing. Even if you plan to breast feed exclusively, I would suggest having a couple of these bottles on hand. Bottle feeding two babies at once is really tricky business. These bottles allow the baby to hold the nipple in their mouth themselves (like a pacifier) without having to grip and hold up the bottle. The milk come up from the bottle to their nipple in their mouth through a small tube as they suck. Amazing!

Feeding tracking system-especially in the early weeks when the babies are on different eating schedules, it is so helpful to have some way of recording and tracking when they eat. We used the BabyConnect app on our iPad. It allowed us to track eating, wet/dirty diapers, sleep patterns etc. for both babies. 

Diaper bag with backpack type straps-my husband gave me a PPB diaper bag for Christmas and it has been amazing. Before that, I used a bag that just had a single shoulder strap but when you're alone and trying to carry a diaper bag in addition to two kids in car seats, having a bag that can fit on like a backpack is the best thing ever. Also, the straps on my bag have hooks that I use to hang grocery bags on when coming back from the store. I look like a pack mule but I love not having to take multiple trips!

Two high chairs and lots of bibs-when you are feeding two kids at the same time, it just gets messy. We go through bibs like they're going out of style. And having two high chairs is a must.

Changing pad?-we have one and we used it a lot when the babies were newborn, especially when my husband was home to help me. But when I'm alone, I find it's easier to lay a blanket down on the floor, put the babes on it and change their bums down there. So I would says changing pad ca be nice, but not a necessity.

Diaper Genie-to me, this is a necessity. We live in an apartment so it's not practical to run each smelly diaper outside immediately or even to set it out on the porch. The Genie does a great job of containing the smell while the diapers are stuck inside with us.

Storage-baby clothes take up a lot of space, especially when you have double the normal amount. We bought 4 plastic sliding drawer sets from Target that have 3 drawers each. So each baby has 6 drawers. In the top drawers I put the size they are currently wearing, then in the drawers underneath I have the next size ready to go. As they grow out of each size, I rotate them um through the drawers and put the too-small size in clear, labeled plastic totes in the top of the closet.

Lots and lots of diapers-we toyed with the idea of using cloth diapers to save money, but for two babies we decided the amount of laundry I'd need to do would be ridiculous. So we went with disposables. When they were newborn, we went through about 16 diapers/day. Now we are down to about 10/day. Which means that we spend $60-$80/month on diapers. 

Well there you have it, my must-haves for surviving the first 6 months with twin babies!