Workout music!

If you are anything like me, music makes the workout.

Call it a distraction, call it entertainment, call it motivation. Before the days of streaming music, and smart phones, I would carefully make my ultimate workout playlists on iTunes to transfer to my iPod shuffle, nano, or whatever was in style at the time. For me, a song can help me push through a tough run, even when I have little juice in the tank. 

I'll never forget the moment it most rang true to me. I was running the Rock N Roll Providence half marathon, and was dragging along to the finish because I hadn't focused on my training like I should have. Just as I hit a huge hill, some spectators started blaring "Stronger" by Britney Spears on their stereo (and anyone who really knows me knows how big a Britney fan I am). I got this feeling of power and energy and powered up that hill, then thought about how awesome it was throughout the rest of the race.

These days, I tend to rely more on Pandora, Spotify, or my new favorite Amazon Prime Music.  Did you know if you already have Amazon Prime you just have to download an app to stream all their music for free. If you don't have it you can sign up for a FREE 30 day trial HERE.

My favorite pump me up tunes? 

I'm a little old school

Britney Spears

Justin Timberlake

Ke$ha

Nikki Minaj

or anything else I find on their stations

Maybe part of my motivation problem is I haven't had good music to listen to. My speakers in my iPhone aren't working properly and I can't use the headphones. I tried to use that as an excuse to hubby that I need a new iPhone, but he's not buying it. Guess I need to dig out an iPod shuffle and get busy!

What are your favorite workout tunes?

You're Asking What??

The comments start when people find out you're pregnant with twins. Once they arrive, it doesn't slow down, it only gets worse. I'm sure people "mean well," but some people are just obnoxious. It's one thing to have friends ask these questions, but sharing intimate details with strangers in the middle of a grocery store is quickly creeping to the top of my pet peeve list.

Are they Identical of Fraternal?

"Its a boy and a girl."

blank stare.

"They're fraternal."

Seriously? Apparently most people do not know basic science. Identical twins are the same egg/sperm that has been split. Boy/girl twins can NEVER be identical. NEVER.

Do Twins run in your family?

I didn't realize I had to have twins in the family to justify the fact that I actually have twins! Either this is people's way of trying to find out if you "had help", or they are really interested in your family tree. If you answer no, then usually the follow up question is my next point. I've taken to lying, "yes, they do." Anything to avoid intimate conversations with strangers.

Did you do IVF?

To friends or aquaintances actually struggling with infertility, I do not mind this question at all. However, the random old lady walking the bike trail or the nosy man at Starbucks, do you really think you deserve to know about my reproductive system?

This really is only the tip of the iceberg of inappropriate questions people ask....

Twin mommas, what questions do you hate?

Date nights with Plated

Weekends are so different after twins.

Before babies, friday nights equaled take out from our favorite burger place, and saturday nights were always for dinner & drinks out the two of us or with friends. Now, the two adorable little humans that have overtaken our lives have changed that. While grandma is more than happy to babysit so we can go out, we quickly realized that the extra expenses of diapers, wipes, and doctors appointments were draining the funds we typically used for nights out. Plus, our babies go to bed between 6:30-7, so we still have extra time before we crash to spend together!

We had been given a gift card to Plated before the babies were born. Have you heard of these boxes that are all over your new feed these days? Essentially, they provide all the ingredients you need, pre-portioned out, along with easy to follow directions. We decided to give Plated a try first.

What did we love?

The ingredients

Typically the recipes are not something part of my staples. They usually contain ingredients I may not have had before, or wouldn't have ever cooked with normally. This definitely added to the "special" feeling of making it a date night. Plus they are all packaged up by meal so there's no confusion on what goes with what meal.

Ingredients for tonight's dinner....
chicken tostadas!

The cost

Normally, when we get takeout we would spend $30-40. A night out would typically cost $100. That is almost $140 a week on date nights! For less than $75 with Plated, we get 3 dinners for 2 people. 3 dinners for less than the cost of one night out! Throw in a bottle of wine from Costco & you have yourself a very frugal date night!

Pollock with blood orange

The taste

Every dish is fantastic (ok there was one lentil dish we didn't love)! The food is always really fresh, the flavor combinations are awesome, and we honestly feel like its a meal we would get at a restaurant.

Baked Gnocchi with Kale

What didn't we love?

Really, only the fact that I have to cook it and clean it up afterwards.  The work of planning and measuring is taken out though, so it does help there!

Parents of twins, or babies in general, jump on this train to make your dinners with your hubby a little more special than heating up a frozen pizza.

Bon Appétit!