Tag: featured

Personal

Twin Must Have Products – Newborn

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Everyone is different but these are the top things we have used most for the twins during the newborn stage. I’ll also include a few things that would be helpful with a singleton too.

1 – The Snoo. Yes they are expensive. Yes I had two of them. Hear me out…With a newborn (or two), nothing is more important for a parent than sleep. I got both Snoo bassinets secondhand on Facebook Marketplace. I carefully vetted each seller and inspected each Snoo with precision. We used them for 5 months and I put them right back on Facebook Marketplace and sold them…for a profit.

The Snoo was so magical for me because it starts to rock your baby back to sleep for you, letting you stay horizontal.

2 – Table For Two. This is another great item to start looking for on Facebook Marketplace early. We got ours secondhand. Table for Two sent us instructions on how to remove the white cover to clean it up. We use this every day for bottle feeding.

3 – Bugaboo Donkey Twin. One of very few side-by-side strollers that fits through a standard door with ease. The bassinet and seat attachments both fit through our front door for walks with no issues. It’s not just a double stroller. It collapses down to a single stroller. This feature was helpful when I just needed to take one baby to a doctor’s appointment. Glides well, turns well.

4 – Twin Z Pillow. Not just for breastfeeding. We use this all the time for bottles before bed and used it a ton for elevated tummy time.

5 – OXO Space Saving Drying Rack. Twins means a ton of bottles so this vertical storage helps keep things off the countertop. As our twins have gotten older it’s also served us well for sippy cups and straw cups.

6 – Baby Brezza Formula Pro Advanced. They also have a wifi model but I’ve yet to understand why that feature is needed.

7 – Baby Brezza One-Step Bottle Sterilizer and Dryer. Our day care provider asks for four bottles per day per baby (eight bottles total). Having this dryer allows me to have clean and dry bottles quickly so I can have the next day prepared before bed.

8 – Baby Delight Bouncers (2). These look and function similarly to the Baby Bjorn bouncers but are half the price. With twins you can place them next to each other and use your foot to bounce both babies at the same time.

Items for all baby:

  • Boudreaux’s Butt Paste (max strength). Get the red tube. Recommend the 3-pack so you never run out.
  • Yogasleep Hushh Portable Sound Machine. Awesome for the stroller, in the car, or for sleep when traveling. I linked the two-pack for twins.
  • Nose Frida. I know it seems gross but it works 100x better than the bulb syringe.
  • Dapple Bottle Soap. In my experience, Dapple worked much better on both breast milk and formula compared to Dawn and Babyganics.
  • Fisher-price Deluxe Kick & Play Piano. Both of babies have loved it since they were 2 months old. Helpful during tummy time, learning to roll, crawl, and pull up. This toy was also mentioned in some of the forums I read as helpful when dealing with my son’s brachycephaly. He did not like being on his tummy.

I hope you found this helpful!

Health, Personal

So You’re Having Twins…Now What?

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1: Take Care of Yourself
*Before diving in here…it’s important to state I’m speaking from my experience but every body, baby, and pregnancy is different. Please follow the guidance of your doctor, doula, mid-wife, or other medical professional.

Care Team
It’s vital to have a care team that makes you feel comfortable. I have been going to my OB/GYN for years so we already had a good relationship and I trusted that she would provide the proper care and deliver my babies safely. When we discovered the added complexity that I had two babies, she immediately referred me to a MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine) specialist for sonograms. This was a perfect example of my OB doing what was best for me by getting another doctor involved.

My MFM doctor was also a trusted member of my care team. I was in his office every month, then every other week, then every week towards the end of my pregnancy.

Nutrition
My OB/GYN had recommended that I start taking prenatal vitamins when we were trying to conceive. These pills are packed with essential vitamins for a growing embryo. In addition to this, my MFM doctor had me taking a daily baby aspirin and extra folic acid. Studies conducted have shown that baby aspirin can reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia which is more common in a multiples pregnancy (source). The added folic acid provided enough to support two growing babies. Regular prenatal vitamins only contain enough folic acid to support one.

My doctors also recommended I try to gain 24 lbs by the time I hit 24 weeks. They advised that gaining weight early in a multiples pregnancy has been shown to increase the likelihood that the babies would not be born prematurely (source). So I ate…and ate…and ate. After my first trimester when the nausea subsided, gaining weight was easy since I just ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I wanted to stay healthy so avoided a lot of junk food but I added more peanut butter, avocado, and cheese to things. It’s important to eat well because gestational diabetes is more common in a twin pregnancy (source).

Rest
I was not ready for how exhausted I would be while pregnant. I needed to take a nap every single day and was still going to be very early in the evening. My care team advised that I sleep when I was tired. I was taking a 1-2 hour nap daily and lying around a lot. Towards the end of my pregnancy when I was very large, this pregnancy pillow really made a difference in helping me sleep at night. Friends of mine have also said a good body pillow does the trick.

Water
You have to drink so much water! Blood volume increases by 40% during a singleton pregnancy (source). You need water in your body to make sure you build up that blood supply and make enough amniotic fluid. I was extremely thirsty all the time so I had no problem drinking the recommended 64 oz per day. I actually drank more than that regularly. In order to ensure I was hitting that target, I bought this water bottle.

2: Gear
Babylist Registry
Because some of the items for twins aren’t available at big box stores, Babylist was a great registry option for me. It allows you to pull in products from all different stores into one easy to manage place. Highly recommend!

Target and BuyBuyBaby Registries
Registering at Target and BuyBuyBaby was worth it for those friends and family that prefer to shop in a physical store. Also…you get free samples for registering at these places.

Top Twin Baby Items
I broke this out into a separate post.

Secondhand Shopping
Two of everything gets expensive quickly. I highly recommend buying as much as you can secondhand. Babies grow out of clothes, swings, bouncers, toys, etc. so quickly that a lot of the “used” items will still look and perform as if they were brand new.

I was constantly checking Facebook Marketplace, Mercari, and Poshmark for items. Facebook Marketplace is great for finding things in your general area for pick up or drop off. We bought bassinets, high chairs, swings, bouncers, nursing pillows, clothes, and baby gates all secondhand for a fraction of what you pay in a store.

You can also Google terms like “secondhand baby store” and see if there is one in your area. Kid to Kid in South Austin has been a great place for selling clothes the twins have outgrown and purchasing the next size up.

3: Create a Birth Plan
Doula
Hiring a doula is a personal choice. For me, I wanted a doula for a couple of reasons 1: The rules around visitors and guests kept changing due to COVID-19. At the time of delivery, I was only allowed to have one person with me while I labored and delivered except if using a doula or midwife. 2: My husband and I had no idea what to expect. Hiring a doula to walk us through everything that was happening in the moment was extremely helpful.

Overall, I’m glad we hired a doula. Brenda was a wonderful resource to us before, during, and after delivery. She kept me comfortable and calm. She asked good questions that I would not have known to ask and explained everything to me and my husband in a way we could understand.

What’s in a birth plan?
Our doula told us the “birth plan” is really more of a wishlist. It is very unusual for a birth plan to go 100% as written in your document. This helped set our expectations that we can have preferences but to be aware that things can change. Brenda came to our house about 6 weeks prior to our due date to discuss the birth plan. The first thing she told us was We put into a one-page document our goals and preferences for procedures during labor and postpartum. For example, we listed the preference to hold off on an epidural until I reached 5-6cm of dilation.

4: Generally Helpful Resources
I’m a researcher and like to do my own due diligence. Here are the resources I found the most helpful.

Career

PMP Frequently Asked Questions (PLUS: Tips and Tricks for Passing the Exam)

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As a newly certified PMI project manager, I hope this post is helpful to others seeking the accreditation. I want to caveat that this advice is based on the exam when I took it. Please reference PMI for the most up-to-date information.

What is the PMP?
PMP stands for Project Management Professional. This is a professional certification given by the Project Management Institute, a global organization of project managers. You can find additional information at PMI.org.

Who is eligible to take the PMP exam?
Before applying for your exam, make sure you meet the eligibility requirements.

  • A four-year degree
  • 36 months leading projects
  • 35 hours of project management education/training or CAPM® Certification

OR

  • A high school diploma or an associate’s degree (or global equivalent)
  • 60 months leading projects
  • 35 hours of project management education/training or CAPM® Certification

How do I get my 35 training credit hours?
You can get your PDUs from a variety of PMI accredited education programs or trainings.

I wanted in-person training so I attended The University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Professional Education’s “Project Management Certification Program”. This is an 8-week course aimed to prepare you for the exam and provide real examples of project management. During this course, you form a team and build a project plan from scratch. By the end of the course, you are asked to present your project in front of a panel of PMP certified project managers. I enjoyed this course but it is not necessary for getting your PMP.

A more cost effective option is this LinkedIn Learning course titled “Cert Prep: Project Management Professional (PMP)”. I actually took this course as well when studying for my exam.

How do I fill out the PMP application?
You can start the application process by creating an account with PMI.

Before going through the application with PMI, I’d recommend writing out all of your projects in a spreadsheet. Here is a link to the template that I used to keep track.

What study materials should I use?
There are many options when you begin to study for the PMP. These are the resources I utilized and would recommend. Everyone learns differently so feel free to find other resources via a Google search.

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK Guide – You need to read this. It’s boring, but you gotta do it. All of our exam questions will come from the information in this book.

Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep – I purchased the ebook version. I read this book cover to cover once, taking the chapter assessments as I went. This book is great because it breaks down the PMBOK into easy to understand concepts, has exercises to test your knowledge, and contains tips for passing the exam. For each end of chapter quiz, I recommend reading through the reasoning for each answer, even if you got those questions correct. I took extensive notes and re-read those notes at least 3 times. I also re-read chapter 2-3 again a couple of weeks before my exam.

PMP Exam Simulator – This is an excellent tool when preparing for your exam. You can customize assessments based on areas where you need more practice or take full 200 question exams. I took 3 of the full exams in the month leading up to my actual exam. You get a full breakdown of which questions you missed with explanations on the correct answers and where in the PMBOK to reference for additional details.

What does a brain dump look like?
I took photos of the brain dump I practiced for your enjoyment!

Front of brain dump
Back of brain dump

Because I took the exam via online proctor, I ended up not writing down the original front of my brain dump. More on that later.

What’s it like taking the PMP exam via online proctor?
In all honesty, it’s not ideal. However, I do think it’s necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Make sure you have a Windows machine. The PearsonVUE application does not play nicely with MacOS. I am very glad that I tried this out the Friday before my exam the following Monday. I was able to borrow a friend’s PC and practice on it over the weekend. I highly recommend downloading the application at least the day before your exam to test that it actually works with your system. I did not have any issues the morning of my exam because I worked out all of the kinks over the weekend.

The main downside to the proctored exam for me was the inability to use scratch paper for my brain dump and calculations. You are not allowed to have anything on your desk besides a mouse and keyboard.

You do have access to a “notepad” that works similarly to Microsoft Paint. I practiced creating the full 49 process groups chart but it was taking too much time. I ended up simply opening a single text box and dumping in all of my equations. Let me tell you, trying to go through the algebra using the equivalent of the Microsoft Paint pencil was not easy.

Travel

Ultimate Guide to Walt Disney World

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A few years ago my husband’s side of the family booked a trip to Walt Disney World. As an avid Disney fan, I planned this trip down to the minute to maximize our time in the parks. Here are some of the tips, tricks, and must-sees at the wonderful world of Disney. Note this guide is for adults. We did not have small children on this trip.

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Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom is much further away from the other parks. Plan for travel time.

You definitely need to check out Animal Kingdom but we didn’t spend the entire day there. Since we had Park Hopper tickets, we knocked out all of the activities we wanted to see in the morning and left for Magic Kingdom after lunch.

Places To Eat

  • Tusker House Restaurant
    • Cuisine: African, American buffet style
    • Alcohol served: Yes
    • Reservations: Strongly Recommended
    • Character dining with Mickey & friends
  • Yak & Yeti™ Local Food Cafes
    • Cuisine: Asian
    • Alcohol served: Yes
    • Reservations: N/A
    • Easy grab-n-go options. We got the honey chicken and some egg rolls.

Stuff To Do

  • Expedition Everest
    • Attraction type: Thrill Ride (Rollercoaster)
    • FastPass available
    • Single Rider available
    • This coaster Lines for this ride get very long during the day. I would recommend getting a FastPass for this one. If you have little kids, make sure they are tall enough to ride before waiting in line.
  • Kilimanjaro Safari
    • Attraction type: Slow Ride
    • FastPass available
    • Great for all ages. On this ride, you’ll be taken on a safari through Disney’s Harambe Wildlife Reserve. You’ll see animals like lions, giraffes, and hippos. I recommend going on this excursion first because the animals are most active in the morning and tend to find the shade as the day gets hotter.
  • DINOSAUR
    • Attraction type: Thrill Ride
    • FastPass available
    • The line for this attraction is usually light at the beginning of the day. If the line does get long, it’s during the heat of the day and you’ll be inside with the A/C while waiting. While this isn’t the most popular ride, it’s one of my favorites.
  • Kali River Rapids
    • Attraction type: Water Ride
    • FastPass available
    • Proceed with caution! You will get wet. I worn denim shorts on the day we visited Animal Kingdom and got soaked. I regretted that ride for the rest of the day because my shorts wouldn’t dry.
  • Tree of Life
    • Attraction type: Sight
    • The Tree of Life anchors the park similar to Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom or Spaceship Earth (giant golfball-like structure) at Epcot. Take some time to walk around the tree. It has detailed carvings of different animals and is really beautiful. Inside the tree is a theater where you can see “It’s Tough to be a Bug!” – a 3D show with A Bug’s Life theme.
    • Tree of Life Awakenings: At night, the Tree of Light now lights up for a show. This is new and I have not personally seen it.
  • Pandora – The World of Avatar
    • This portion of the park just recently opened so I haven’t personally seen it. Based on what I’ve seen and read, this is absolutely a must-do in the park.

Disney’s Hollywood Studio

Places To Eat

  • 50’s Prime Time Café
    • Cuisine: 50’s Style Home Cooking (think meatloaf and TV dinners)
    • Alcohol Served: Yes
    • Reservations: Strongly Recommended
    • This is a really fun themed dining experience. Each table is set up to feel like you are sitting in a kitchen from the 50’s complete with black-and-white TV programs running. The wait staff is dressed in 50’s attire and makes you mind your manners. Don’t put your elbows on the table!
  • The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge
    • Cuisine: Appetizers and Drinks
    • Alcohol served: Yes
    • Reservations: Not Necessary
    • This is a cool place to sit outside and grab a quick bite. We all got margarita flights and rested our feet for a while.

Stuff To Do

  • Toy Story Mania!
    • Attraction type: Gameified Thrill Ride
    • FastPass available
    • Of all of the Disney World attractions, the line was longest at this one. We were also unable to secure FastPasses for everyone in our party so, we had to wait. The line is designed to go through Andy’s room from Toy Story as if you were a toy. The building blocks and crayons appear much larger than you are. As you wait, take a look around to pass the time. Once you are on the ride, it goes pretty fast. You’ll be handed a pair of 3D glasses before shooting off into an interactive shooting gallery style game. Very fun!
  • Tower of Terror
    • Attraction type: Thrill Ride (Big Drops)
    • FastPass available
    • We all loved the Tower of Terror and rode it at least four times during the trip. This Twilight Zone-themed ride takes you up 13 floors in an elevator and then drops! It’s scary and fun at the same time. I wouldn’t recommend this for children under ten that scare easily or don’t like the dark.
  • Rock ‘n Roller Coaster
    • Attraction type: Thrill Ride (Rollercoaster)
    • FastPass available
    • Single Rider available
    • This Aerosmith-themed coaster is my husband’s favorite. You ride along in a limo with Aerosmith as some of their hit songs play. The line gets very long and wait times can exceed two hours. Fortunately, most of the wait is in the air conditioning. If you have kids with you, make sure they are tall enough to ride before waiting in line.
  • Star Tours
    • Attraction type: Thrill Ride (Small Drops / Simulator)
    • FastPass available
    • This Star Wars themed simulator takes you to popular places from the films in 3D. The line is completely indoors so it’s great on a hot or rainy day.
  • For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
    • Attraction type: Stage Show
    • FastPass available
    • If you love Frozen, you can’t miss this show. They have showings every hour but the line can get long so show up early! You can also use a FastPass for this attraction.
  • Muppet Vision 3D
    • Attraction type: Stage Show
    • FastPass available
    • This is a fun show for all ages. You’ll be seated in a theater and will wear 3D glasses. While you can get a FastPass for this attraction, it’s not necessary. Save your FastPasses for some of the other rides with long wait times.

Rockin’ Roller Coaster
View of the Tower of Terror
50’s Prime Time Cafe

Epcot

Places To Eat

  • Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
    • Cuisine: American, Norwegian Buffet Style
    • Alcohol served: Yes
    • Reservations: Strongly Recommended / Required
    • Character dining with the Disney Princesses! The princesses will vary from breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This is great for princess lovers and one of the only ways to get photos with Belle in her yellow ballgown.
  • The World Showcase
    • Cuisine: varies by country
    • Alcohol served: Yes
    • The World Showcase is the entire back portion of Epcot surrounding the lake. I recommend starting off in Mexico (to the left as you approach) and work your way around. There is regional food and drink at every stop.
    • Favorites from the World Showcase:
      • San Angel Inn Restaurante (in Mexico) – Reservations needed
      • Nine Dragons Restaurant (in China) – Reservations needed
      • Sommerfest (in Germany) – No reservations
      • Le Cellier Steakhouse (in Canada) – Reservations needed

Stuff To Do

  • I would also put the World Showcase under this section because it’s so fun to explore. There are many character meet-and-greets and rides along the way.
  • Frozen Ever After (in Norway)
    • Attraction type: Thrill Ride (Small Drops, Dark)
    • FastPass available
    • This is one of the newest rides in Walt Disney Word. The lines are crazy long so use your FastPass for this one. This attraction takes you through the story of Frozen in a boat.
  • Soarin’ (in Future World)
    • Attraction type: Thrill Ride (Small Drops, Simulation)
    • FastPass available
    • Take a trip around the world in a hang glider. The graphics are phenomenal and the sensory additions (sound, smell, wind) make this a truly fun experience.

Magic Kingdom

Places To Eat

  • Be Our Guest
  • Cinderella’s Castle
  • Pooh and Friends character dining

Stuff To Do

  • Main Street USA
  • Snow White’s Mine Train
  • Ariel’s Grotto
  • Storytime with Belle
  • Space Mountain
  • It’s A Small World
  • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
  • Splash Mountain

Health

Spin Class Playlist

laraschmieding

Happy New Year! Many people make New Years’ resolutions each year aimed to be happier and healthier. A couple of years ago, I made the resolution to try new things. To do that, I signed up for Home Chef to encourage me and my husband to try new foods and recipes. I also signed up for ClassPass. ClassPass helped me discover indoor cycling.

My favorite form of exercise is a rhythmic-based spin class. The most important component of a spin class, in my opinion, is the music selection. A playlist can make or break the experience.

After attending over 100 classes, here is a list of my all-time favorite songs to spin too. These would also be great for other forms of cardio too!

  1. “It Ain’t Me” by Selena Gomez
  2. “The Greatest” by Sia
  3. “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Chainsmokers
  4. “Starboy” by The Weeknd
  5. “Sorry Not Sorry” by Demi Lovato
  6. “Love Me Like You Do” by Ellie Goulding (for a slower, climb song – turn up that resistance)
  7. “Royals” by Lorde
  8. “Pony” by Ginuwine (perfect for tap-backs and push-ups)
  9. “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC (the hand weight portion)
  10. “No Diggity” by Blackstreet
  11. “…Ready For It?” by Taylor Swift
  12. “Malibu” by Miley Cyrus (for cooling down and stretching)

According to my Spotify account, this mix hits at 45 minutes, the same length as most spin classes I’ve attended. I hope you get a chance to use this, let me know what you think.

If you live in the Austin area, try out RIDE or Love Indoor Cycling studios. They are by far my favorites in town.