Friday, April 27, 2012

My Cruise Adventure & $50 Target Gift Card

Upon stumbling on a recent giveaway on a friend's blog, Keenly Kristin, I was inspired to share my own story of a cruise experience I had as a teenager. I lived with my Godmother and her husband, who later became my parents when they adopted me, when I was 15 until 18 years old. Several months after moving in with them, she announced we were going on a cruise. I was SO excited!  


We cruised with Carnival cruise lines, on their ship Carnival Spirit. It was such an amazing experience! I was 15 and had NEVER left the state of Vermont! We flew to Miami to board the ship, cruised the Carribean, and stopped at 3 different ports: St. Maarten, Barbados, and Martinique. In St. Maarten we lounged on the beach, in Barbados we took a submarine ride all the way to the bottom of the ocean floor, and in Martinique we took a tour of the Rainforest and Dole banana plantation. It was such an amazing experience and life changing for a 15 year old. I learned a lot, and had tremendous fun. There was so much to do ON the ship too. There was food available 24 hours a night, beautiful formal restaurants, room service, spectacular shows every night, and so many various activities during the day too. Not to mention, the pool and the views from the deck from our rooms. More times than I can count we watched dolphins swimming along with our ship, or the sun rising or setting on the horizon. We met some amazing people, and have so many amazing and unforgettable memories. I would give anything to go back and do it all over again. Maybe some day....


And if I do ever get the chance to do it again, I will turn to Cruise Web to help me find the best deal and plan the best cruise with the best cruise line. 


Would you like to win a $50 Target gift card? Enter the giveaway I just entered by following the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below!



Thursday, April 26, 2012

Maranda Lee/Hot Mama Hand Bags Review & Giveaway


Every mama loves hand bags, but when you become a mom, it's not always easy to find the "perfect" hand bag to fit all of your growing needs, and be stylish at the same time. I found Maranda's amazing Etsy shop recently, and it was love at first sight.


With so many bags to choose from, it wasn't easy to decide, but on thing was for sure....no matter which one I ended up choosing, it would meet all of my busy mom needs and beyond.


I finally settled on the large Emma bag in the Ironworks pattern, with polka dot fabric on the inside lining.




I could not wait to get this bag, and was nowhere near disappointed when I finally received it. First of all, I wanted the darker pattern because of the obvious reason.....things get messy quick with kids! 


The fabric is very very durable and strong, and the strap is adjustable to a few different lengths, which makes it easy to use for anybody. Inside there are 3 "open" pockets (no zipper or snap enclosure), 3 elastic open pockets, as well as a clip for pacifiers, keys, etc. The bag itself has a snap closure to keep contents from falling out, yet everything is still easily accessible. 


There is SO much room inside! I can easily carry diapers and wipes in the wider elastic pocket, sippy cups in the others, my wallet, check book, snacks for the kids, cell phone, camera, and even after all of that, there is still tons of room to spare! 


Lately, I have been using this bag as my dance bag. I have hip hop dance every Friday night, and I throw my wallet, keys, checkbook, cell phone, water bottle, dance shoes, and a change of clothes in this bag, and there is plenty of room...and it's way cute and stylish to carry around. And the compliments I have received are endless. 


I wish I could include photos here for you to see, but if you have read any of my other more recent posts, you know my camera is broken. :-( So, when that is finally replaced, I will post pics!


All in all, I am so happy with this bag, and in the short time I have had it, it has already gotten so much great use, and will continue to do so. If you are looking for a roomy, stylish, chic bag, Hot Mama Handbags is the way to go!


Purchase it: You can purchase this bag and many others at Maranda's website.

WIN IT: ONE lucky reader of Mama 2 Multiples is going to WIN a large Emma messenger bag like the one in this post, but in the Morning Glory pattern seen here:




To enter, simply follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below!



New Section!





Check out the new section in the sidebar of my blog. It's a list of some sites and other materials I recommend checking out and playing around with. The first on the list is Cookie, a website full of free educational games for children of all ages! There are games that help children learn to count, do basic math skills, fun and easy games like tic tac toe, the alphabet, and so much more! Along with games, there are also stories and videos to read and watch and have fun with. I highly recommend this website, and am happy to feature it on my blog, an as the first on the list in the new section of links worth checking out. :-)

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Baby Legs Review & Giveaway!


When Connor and Merasia were a little over a year old, I had the opportunity to review a set of BabyLegs for each of them. I absolutely LOVED them, and recently, got the opportunity to review another set of BabyLegs from Mom 4 Life. I was so excited to try them out for Mason, and again for the older kids, since Merasia is really into dressing up and at the time I received the BabyLegs for review, Merasia was in dance class, and I thought they would be super duper cute for her to wear and dance in. 


For my review, I received 3 pairs of BabyLeg warmers in the unisex White Burst pattern. 




I thought the pattern was slightly girly, but it was the only pattern available for review, so I went with it. And I also knew that every time one twin has something, the other wants it, no matter the color or design or what it is, so I knew seeing his sister with the legwarmers would make Connor want some too. I was so excited to break these out of their packaging and try them out! I tried them on Connor on a day when we were just hanging out at home. At the time I reviewed these, we were working on potty training. The Babylegs came in handy, since they are easier then dealing with pulling pants up and down every time the twins had to potty. Connor liked them at first, but soon tired of them and didn't care for them anymore. Merasia LOVED hers, of course. I knew she would!



How cute does she look in her BabyLegs??

Mason is also super adorable in his pair! We take full advantage of our BabyLegs on days when we are bumming around the house and having a lazy day, or on laundry day. ;-) 


Paired with a simple onesie, an outfit is complete!







Mason was mastering crawling when we first received the legwarmers for review, so this was perfect timing to help protect and cushion his sensitive little knees! 


Not only are these legwarmers cute and a great idea, but they are oh-so-soft and stretchy, so they fit all sizes/ages! They come in an array of colors and patterns to choose from. They can make an outfit, complete an outfit, or serve entirely different purposes, such as arm/hand warmers, tights for under a skirt or dress, dance class attire, or for other sports, such as soccer. So many uses for such a simple item!





Purchase It: You can purchase these and other BabyLegs legwarmers at Mom 4 Life's website!

WIN IT: ONE lucky reader of Mama 2 Multiples is going to WIN the same pair of BabyLegs reviewed in this post. To enter, simply follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below!



Tuesday, April 24, 2012

A Mason Post!

My monkey boy is growing up so fast!


Let me start off by saying I was going to wait to write an update post until I could post photos to go along with it. My camera is broken right now, and I'm having serious withdrawals. So, pics will have to wait, but the update can't. ;-)


Mason is an official walker. He isn't walking all over the place, but he takes 2-6 steps in between furniture or people, or just in an open room. He will pull himself up to stand, and then just turn around and walk until he loses his balance and falls down, or something gets in his way and trips him up. He is so cute toddling around like he does! 


He also has so many words! He says da da, daddy, mama, hi, bye bye, night night, yeah, no, love you, jenn, hair, more, and a few others that I can't think of right now. When he gets mad, wants attention, or sees food that he wants, he makes a yelling/squawking noise. It's annoying, but cute at the same time. :-)


He is such an active baby! He crawls all over the place when he isn't trying to walk, and he is one FAST boy! His newest accomplishment is his yoga pose he just mastered. He does "downward facing dog" ALL the time now and let me tell you...it is the CUTEST thing in the WORLD! I can't wait to get my camera working again and get some photos of it...it's priceless! 


He still enjoys eating....a lot. There isn't anything this boy won't eat! He recently discovered m&m's and can't get enough of them...when we let him have them or he sneaks them...somehow. ;-) 






He also recently tried watermelon and absolutely LOVED it! That's definitely a new favorite for him!





Mason is a very happy baby. He is always smiling and laughing and content. 





He gets fussy or cries when he gets hungry, wants some milk, or is over tired. And speaking of being tired...he is *finally* sleeping through the night! I can't complain too much! 






I just can't believe how much he has grown and developed in such a short time. It's amazing for me, because I have had it both ways with my children. I had preemies with the twins, so I had the chance to see how they developed at certain points in their life, and when they hit certain milestones and other things. With Mason, he had an extra 6 weeks to cook in mama's belly (he was a week late!), so he had plenty of time to grow nice and strong and mature, and he is just a perfect textbook baby. He has hit every milestone right when "the books" or "the professionals" say milestones should be hit, or he has mastered them before the time frame to expect them to be met. He does so much more and has so many more words at 13 months than the twins had at even 18 months. It's amazing to see the contrast and to see the differences in each. It's an understatement to say how rewarding it has been to see the twins develop into the little people they are today, and to see Mason develop and grow into the little man he is today, and I can't wait for the next several months and see how must more all 3 of my children grow and change in different ways.



Monday, April 23, 2012

A Little Update on our Journey to Add to our Family

As most of you already know, we are planning on adding a 4th little one to our family at some point. We stopped our birth control back in September or October, and were going to get the Clomid we have used to conceive in the past. We then decided to try on our own for a little while, while I worked on getting healthier and losing some of the baby weight from my first 2 pregnancies before adding more. So, we took on the "not actively trying but not preventing" attitude. I started getting cycles every month, around the same time every month, which has NEVER happened for me, even when I was on birth control as a teenager. So, this gave me a little hope that things were moving in the right direction. 

Last month, my period was almost 2 weeks late. I had taken some tests when it was a few days to a week late, and all were negative. I woke up one morning and realized I hadn't peed all night, and had one pregnancy test left, so I figured what the heck? I might as well take it! I took it, left the room to go get the kids dressed, and checked back a few short minutes later. At first glance, it looked negative. I wasn't expecting anything as it was, so I wasn't too disappointed. But I picked it up to look a little closer and could see the faintest second line. Of course a second line would show up on my last test in the whole house! 

By that afternoon, I had 2 positive tests. All light, but still positive. I decided I was done testing for the day and waited to take another until the next morning. That one was positive too. Again, very very light, but still visible. I called my doctor to get some blood work done. I was in complete shock that this had happened with no fertility drugs. My doctor's office called me back and asked me why I wanted a blood test if I had 3 positive pregnancy tests. I explained to them that I had not conceived with the help of fertility drugs since before we had our twins, and each time we had conceived before without the meds, it had ended in miscarriage, so I was in slight disbelief and wanted to make sure things were going the way they were supposed to go. So, they ordered blood work and then we waited. And waited. And waited alllll day for the call with the results. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and called the office to see if they had the results in yet. Much to our disappointment and shock, the blood test was negative.

After much research and talking with the doctors, we found out we had had an early miscarriage/chemical pregnancy. The tests I took were dollar store brand, but they are much more sensitive than bigger "better" name brands, so they pick up traces of the pregnancy hormone much sooner. Therefore, the pregnancy tests I took were positive, because of how early I was (which is why they were light too), but by the time I went in for blood work, I had already started to lose the baby, which is why my levels of HcG were not detectable by blood, or were so low that they weren't viable for a pregnancy. This would also explain why the last test I took, that morning, was much lighter than the others, since the HcG was on its way out of my system. 

A few days later, I started losing the baby. It was one of the worse weeks of my life. Being so close to having a 4th baby made me want to go out and get our Clomid right then and there. I know with that, I will definitely be pregnant in a short time. Ultimately, we decided not to get the Clomid right away. The deciding factor in that decision was the due date of the 4th baby. If we were to get pregnant between now and the next month or so would be in January through March, and with the twins birthday in January, Frank's birthday in February, and Mason's birthday in March, we really want to avoid a baby in any of those months to spread out the birthdays a little more, and hopefully shoot for a spring/summer baby next time around. We made the choice to wait until July to get the Clomid, and conceive this summer, and then we will be due in April-June of next year, depending on which cycle we end up successfully conceiving. Truth be told though...it's so hard to wait that long! I know it's not THAT far away, but it seems like it is. Of course, if, by some miracle, we were to conceive before that on our own, without the fertility meds, then of course we would be fine and happy with that. The chances of that happening though, are very rare for us and our situation. 

So, the next time I will be sharing about our journey, it should be a pregnancy announcement! ;-)


Thursday, April 19, 2012

Olive Kids Review & Giveaway!


What I loved most when I first discovered Olive Kids was that the majority of the products are hand made and in my neck of the woods here in New England. (New Hampshire to be exact!)


I love handmade products, and the products from Olive Kids are at the top of my favorite list right now. I was shocked by the variety and amount of products they have! Everything from bedding sets, pillows, clocks, place mats, plate sets, growth charts, backpacks, sleeping bags, and SO MUCH MORE! It would take far too much space to list everything, and so many of the products listed above can be personalized, which I love even more!


For my review, I received 2 personalized growth charts for Connor and Merasia. I have always envied people who can keep track of their children's heights and things on a special wall in their home, as a nice memento. However, we rent, and don't have the opportunity where we live, so getting these growth charts was an amazing opportunity, and having them personalized was even better!


Connor is really into trucks and construction vehicles, so I chose his growth chart in the "Under Constructions" pattern.



I had originally asked for the Paisley design for Merasia's growth chart, but a mis-communication error resulted in the Mermaid design. However, this actually ended up being a better fit, as Merasia is really into fish (or "fishies") right now, and it has grown on us and is super cute!




I made the hubs help me get them up on the wall first thing the next morning. :-)




How cute are these growth charts??!! I absolutely LOVE them!!


Connor and Merasia seem to love them too....






We didn't waste any time recording their first height measurement on them either....





I could not be happier with these growth charts! They are a beautiful addition to our home, and one of the first things people when when they walk in, and we have gotten sooo many compliments on them!


The quality of these growth charts is also very high. They are made with very, very strong and durable material, and come with ribbon and nails to hang them on the wall, along with simple yet detailed instructions. These charts can withstand a lot of handle and wear and tear, which is an excellent bonus with little ones running around and checking them out multiple times a day. Mason loves to check our his big brother and big sister's growth charts, and the great thing is, he can't rip them or get them off the wall so they will stay well maintained, clean, and beautiful. :-)


Purchase it: You can purchase these growth charts and many, many other products at Olive Kids' website!

WIN it: ONE lucky reader of Mama 2 Multiples is going to WIN a personalized growth chart of their very own! (A $49.99 retail value!!) To enter, simply follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below!



Dale and Thomas Popcorn - Review & Giveaway!


I love to snack, and one of my favorite snacks, especially at night time when the kiddos are down to bed, is popcorn. But the plain ol' butter microwave popcorn gets old, and I'm not a fan of cheese, so that flavor popcorn is out of the questions for me. I discovered Dale and Thomas popcorn earlier this year, and loved the variety of flavors they had. Chocolate chunk, black and white biscotti, chocolate drizzle...yum!


I received the Valentine's Chocolate Delight Six Pack Sampler of popcorn for review. I was so excited to try it as soon as I received it and broke into the package!





The first flavor I tried was the Black and White Biscotti. It was so yummy! It tasted slightly minty at first, but then had a mix of white and regular chocolate and was just the perfect flavoring and really hit my sweet tooth!




The other flavors I received in my sampler pack were Dark Fudge with Praline Almonds, Dark Chocolate Drizzle Corn, Cinnamon Creme Drizzle Corn, Twice-as-Nice Chocolate Drizzle Corn, Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Drizzle Corn. 


I was skeptical about the Dark Fudge with Praline Almonds, as I'm not an almond lover, but it wasn't what I thought it would be like at all. It's so delicious and I can't get enough of the chocolate drizzle and the slight praline almond flavor. 


My favorite it probably the Dark Chocolate Drizzle corn. 


All in all, I was very happy with this sampler, and love all of the flavors in this sample pack!


I highly recommend Dale and Thomas Popcorn to everyone! You will not be disappointed, and the quality and flavor selection is like no other!


Purchase It: You can purchase Dale and Thomas Popcorn from their website here.

WIN it: ONE lucky reader of Mama 2 Multiples is going to WIN their very own six pack sampler of Dale and Thomas Popcorn!


To enter, simply follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below!



Monday, April 16, 2012

Vitamins Baby Giveaway WINNER!


  • Name: Anne Nack Facebook
  • Option: Follow @Mama2Multiples on Twitter
  • Extra Info: %40ca4muse
  • Time: Sun Apr 01 2012 00:00:00 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Congratulations Anne!! Anne has 48 hours to reply to my email and claim her prize, or I will be forced to choose a different winner. Thanks to all for entering and following my blog! :-)

Discovery Bay Games - Martini Game WINNER!


  • Name: Charissa
  • Option: Subscribe via Email
  • Extra Info: 
  • Time: Thu Apr 05 2012 00:00:00 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Congratulations Charissa!! Charissa has 48 hours to reply to my email and claim her prize, or I will be forced to choose a different winner. Thanks to all who entered and for following my blog!

Monday, April 9, 2012

Walking and Other Things....

Mason is getting better and better at walking! He is all over the place! Mason took his first steps around 9ish months, and hasn't stopped trying to walk and get around on his feet ever since!







Lately, he is getting more and more daring and taking more and more steps alone without any help! It's exciting, but always bittersweet when your baby reaches the "big kid" milestones. 







He also has so many words! He said "Love you" to me for the first time a few weeks ago, and says it all the time now. He says hi, da-da, mama, des, that, no, yeah, yay, all done, night, and a lot more that I can't rattle off from the top of my head at the moment. 


He gets into a lot of mischief at times, and always keeps us on our toes! If we turn out heads for just a second, he can destroy something in that tiny amount of time. Though he gets his fair share of picking on from his big brother and big sister, he doesn't sit there and take it, and will go right after them and give it back himself. He's a feisty little guy!


He has developed and changed so much in such a short time, and I can barely believe he is 13 months old already! I love every second spend with him and watching him grow into the little person he is. He has such a huge and bright personality, and literally lights up our life. 


We love you, monkey man Mace! 



Happy Easter!

We had an amazing Easter this year!!


For the twins very first Easter, they were only a few months old, and we didn't do much. We had dinner with family and that was it. For the next Easter, I went all out...we of course got them little toys and trinkets and things for their Easter basket, and I even made little Easter bunny feet and taped them all through the house. The next year, last year, they got sick the day before Easter and it was just awful. I tried hiding eggs early Easter morning for them to find, and made their baskets up....but this was the sight I saw when I woke up last year on Easter morning....





This year was much different. Instead of waking up to the above sight, we were greeted with these bright eyes....





The day before Easter, we went to a local elementary school, where there was a HUGE egg hunt and other activities for children, along with the Easter bunny! The kids had a BLAST getting fake tattoos, coloring, making different Easter crafts, and most of all, hunting and finding lots and lots of eggs that were loaded with awesome goodies!


When we first got in the school, there were tables set up for the kids to hunt for candy. Connor and Merasia LOVED it!





Mason had a good time just hanging out and enjoying the show...




After we hunted for candy, we waited outside for the Easter bunny to arrive and the egg hunt to start. 


They were SO excited for it to begin, and to pass the time a little quicker....we munched on some chocolate, as you can see on Connor's face. ;-)






When it was go time, Connor and Merasia knew exactly what to do and wasted NO time in hunting and finding lots of eggs!









There were SO SO SO SO many eggs, so there was more then plenty for everyone, which was good, so nobody went away disappointed with only a couple eggs. 


After the egg hunt, we went inside to warm up and have some fun. Daddy helped Connor get a dinosaur tattoo and helped Merasia get a fishy tattoo, and they did some other activities and played with their friends.





After we did some crafts and activities, we ventured back outside to meet the Easter bunny! The kids were SO excited to meet him and kept saying they would sit on his lap and meet him and shake his hand. When their turn came, Merasia wanted NO part in it! She got scared and started crying and had to go stand with daddy, but Connor went up to him, talked to him, got some candy, and gave him a high five. Mason even got in on the fun and was fascinated with the Easter bunny and how soft his hands were....





After a tiring but eventful day, we headed home and our friends came over later for dinner and some egg-dying fun. This was the twins first experience with egg dying, and they had a blast!






They fell into bed that night, completely exhausted from such a fun filled day. After bed, I went to the store to get a few last minute Easter gifts, and then went about filling eggs for the Easter egg hunt and putting all 3 kids' Easter baskets together.





We set the baskets up in the living room for the kids to see when they woke up the next morning. It's hard to see in the pics, but we got them sidewalk chalk (they just discovered it and loooove it and with the spring/summer coming, it's perfect!), toy harmonicas and tambourines (they are REALLY into musical instruments lately!), some candy of course, and most of all, BEACH TOYS!! We have a sandbox where we live too, so they can use the toys here, and at the beach this summer. For Mason, we got him some pacifiers, a duck for the beach or bathtub, beach toys, and a monkey toy. 






We woke up early Easter morning and went outside to put some of the kids' other beach toys out in the sandbox, along with hide some eggs for them. Then we woke them up, and they discovered their baskets and all of the goodies inside....












Mason wasted no time in discovering the m&ms in his eggs...




After that, we threw some pants on the kiddos, and headed outside for our own Easter egg hunt! They had SO MUCH FUN looking for eggs and discovering all of the cool toys the Easter bunny left for them!











We bribed them to come inside with their new Easter clothes...but hey, it worked! They were excited to see and wear their brand new Easter outfits!






They were all so darn cute! For the rest of the day, we hung out at home, mostly. Our friends, Des and Violet, came back over to hang out for a while, and then we went to visit my sister at her new place for a little while, where Mason had a blast chasing her kitten around and getting into mischief. Then we came back home and had a nice Chicken dinner with Des and Violet. It was an amazing Easter, and a HUGE improvement from last year's holiday, that was spent with puking toddlers. :-) I hope you all had an amazing Easter as well with your loved ones!