Double the Fun

Almost every time I enter a shopping outlet I am bombarded by a crazy shopper that makes a beeline for my twin stroller. After they attempt to check out my perfect pair, they inevitably will make one of three comments... they either ask "Are they twins?" or they say "double trouble" or "you must have your hands full". I always chuckle when asked if my babies are twins. They are only a year and a half old and they look nothing alike but it is quite obvious that they are very similar in age. As for the hands full or double trouble comments. Some days I definately agree. Those are also the days that I am irritated by the nosy strangers that chase us down to comment as I am trying desperately to get my shopping done so I can get my screaming pair home to bed. The other days I completely disagree. I tried so hard to get pregnant, enduring all of the complications that infertility and IVF can dish out, I now delight in the existance of my two perfect babies. Now that they are talking and 1/2 of them are walking, they are an absolute blast to be with.

We recently took a family vacation to stay at the cabin of some friends of ours. Travelling with toddler twins requires some great gear and a huge vehicle to cart all of the necessities around in. Of course, there are likely TONS of parents of multiples that can do it with less but like everything else in my life, I like to have the best equipment for the job and be prepared for anything.
That brings me to my reason for starting to blog. I am absolutely in love with the twin gear that has gotten us through the past 18 months with ease and since I have very few twin friends, I figure that maybe there is someone else like me out there just dying to find great twin solutions.
So, here is my present fave. I have recently discovered the Peapod plus travel bed. It is a popup tent that has an inflatable mattress inside. It comes with a sleeping bag but we are Grobag people (more on that in another post) so we haven't had to use them yet. The Peapods can be assembled in under 2 minutes if you use an electric pump for the mattress inflation.This tripwas a great chance for us to test out our Peapods before we fly cross country two weeks from now.
My kids have so many cute outfits that I know that packing light will be impossible for me so the idea of using up 2 of my baggage allowances with pack 'n plays makes me shutter. The Peapods both fit in one 2' x 2' nylon carrying bag and weigh next to nothing. I plan on putting them inside one of my large suitcases with loads of cute sundresses and overalls as well as the clip on highchairs that we will also be bringing (more on them down the road as well).
I have to say, after about 5 minutes of adjusting (ie crying) the kids fell asleep for their nap and have been loving the Peapods ever since. Another bonus is that they have zip down flaps that completely block the babies from seeing out. I am thinking that this may be the solution I have been dreaming about to get the babies both sleeping together in their room. As it stands now, my little guy has been living in our walk in closet for the past 8 months while his sister enjoys the nursery with it's empty second crib.
I am completely in love with these fantastic little tents and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for an alternative to the pack 'n plays.
I can hardly wait to share all my other great finds.